Good Arguments
What the Art of Debating Can Teach Us About Listening Better and Disagreeing Well
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Good Arguments
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Narrated by:
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Bo Seo
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By:
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Bo Seo
About this listen
At a time when every disagreement turns toxic, world champion debater Bo Seo reveals the timeless secrets of effective communication and persuasion.
When Bo Seo was 8 years old, he and his family migrated from Korea to Australia. At the time, he did not speak English, and, unsurprisingly, struggled at school. But, then, in year five, something happened to change his life: he was introduced to debating.
Immediately, he was hooked. It turned out, perhaps counterintuitively, that debating was the perfect activity for someone shy and unsure of himself. It became a way for Bo not only to find his voice, but to excel socially and academically. He went on to win world titles with the Australian schools and Harvard University teams.
But debating isn’t just about winning or losing an argument: it’s about information gathering, truth finding, lucidity, organization, and persuasion. It’s about being able to engage with views you disagree with, without the argument turning toxic.
Good Arguments shares insights from the strategy, structure and history of debating to teach listeners how they might better communicate with friends, family and colleagues. Touching on everything from the radical politics of Malcom X to Artificial Intelligence, Seo proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that, far from being a source of conflict, good-faith debate can enrich our daily lives. Indeed, these good arguments are more important than ever at time when bad faith is all around, and our democracy seems so imperiled.
©2022 Bo Seo (P)2022 Simon & Schuster AustraliaCritic Reviews
"From two-time world champion debater Bo Seo, a thoughtful, instructive and eloquent meditation on the art of debate and why its central pillars—fact-finding, reason, persuasion and listening to opponents—are so valuable in today’s alarming ecosystem of misinformation and extreme emotion. When Bo Seo’s family immigrated from South Korea to Australia, he was a shy, conflict-averse eight year old who worried about being an outsider, and in Good Arguments, he recounts how debate not only helped him to cross language lines, but also gave him confidence and a voice of his own.” —Michiko Kakutani, New York Times-bestselling author of Ex Libris and The Death of Truth
“In a world increasingly rent by division within and between nations, Bo Seo’s lucid and humane search for ‘better ways to disagree’ could not be more timely or valuable.” —Kevin Rudd, former Prime Minister of Australia and author of The Case for Courage
“Good Arguments is a book so timely and needed in this fraction-ing world we are living in. It assumes that a quarrel is something you first have with yourself, get it out of the way and start to respect and listen to the person across the room from you. Seo has written a book that forces us to think and then speak as the philosopher he knows is right on the tip of every tongue. This book is brilliant and a pleasure to read; in the end, he instructs us not to win but to convince and unexpectedly, it teaches how to persuade for words are deployed as weapons of love.” —Jamaica Kincaid, author of See Now Then, Mr. Potter, and The Autobiography of My Mother
What listeners say about Good Arguments
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 19-12-2022
Part of the family
A very personal account of Bo’s journey from immigration to Australia, fitting in and becoming a debating champion. Lots of great strategies for framing arguments. But Bo’s voice and open hearted accounts make the listener feel very close to Bo.
Great book!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Pragmatic shopper
- 28-10-2024
About so much more than just good arguments
Bo is insightful and very articulate. His stories are tight and his thoughts are clear. I believe the best books are the ones we walk away with more questions beyond what we've learnt from the contents within. This book certainly fits that description. A great listen at 1.5x speed.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Carsten Primdal
- 05-10-2022
Inaccurate title and subtitle - its a memoir
While the book is edited well and Bo Seo has a very pleasing voice, it is essentially an autobiography of someone not yet quite old enough to write their memoirs.
Don't buy the book because of the title. The book is about Bo Seo and his accomplishments in school and university. For sure his achievements at the Bush School, Barker College and at University are impressive - also considering that he achieved this as a migrant which is a point he stresses many times. Yet, this book is not what it says on the cover.
It doesnt answer what ths subtitle proclaim, and honestly if I had known that it is a memoir of someones school years, rather than a book about good arguments and what the art of debating can teach us about listening better and disagreeing well, I would probably not have purchased it.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 08-12-2022
Enjoyable development and analysis
I loved it so much, I bought a copy of the paperback for the kids
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 16-01-2024
Good book!
Insightful book about arguments and debate. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in debating — Bo Seo is a debating legend.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jackson Carmichael
- 23-07-2024
A great breakdown of constructing and deconstructing an argument
Very informative way to think about arguments and putting together a cohesive narrative. A must for any aspiring debaters
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 24-01-2024
Biography
I think I misunderstood what I was getting myself into when buying this book. It is not about good argument literally. It is about the life of a man who leaves metaphors to unpack that can be tied to debate, not daily interactions as such unless you wish to be seen as antagonistic. Interesting listen but not my cup of tea
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 16-02-2023
surprisingly compelling
Part autobiography part journey on how he became world champion and part guide on how to become good at arguments. Bo has a real nack in captivating an audience. I was quite surprised how much I enjoyed this book considering its topic.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- grant reynolds
- 05-11-2023
More of a biography than a intellectual tool kit
Knowledgeable and brilliant author, just not what I expected.. I was expecting something really mind expanding with the references to studies and the occasional personal anecdote but I'm afraid this felt more like a biography with the occasional lesson.
I'm an outsider though, I'm sure others will love this.. I'm probably neurodivergent or something.. I just don't like stories and tend to phase out when authors start to describe hair, facial expressions, settings.. I just want facts and tools, I didn't want to be taken on a journey of someone's debating career.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Will
- 17-05-2023
fake advertising
Does not offer insights into the methods of having a good debate or negotiation, but rather a bland collection of a high school and university memoirs.
wish there were *3 speed at time I were skeptical if he was intentionally gatekeeping by not including detail of debate and ways they strategised to win but only showing the emotional journey
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