“They evaluated individual debaters on three measures: the manner of speech, the matter of their arguments, and the method or strategy behind their contributions.

Winning A Debate

“How can we hope to make progress if the two sides are not even having the same discussion?”

To Start An Argument

“ In debate, “good” had many definitions but “success” had only one: you had to beat the other side.”

Defining Success

“Rhetoric is about all the elements that go into the practice of persuasive speaking: words, speech, gesture, structure. If argumentation is what we say, rhetoric is how we say it.”

Rhetoric In Debate

“The rare book that has the potential to make you smarter—and everyone around you wiser.” —Adam Grant Two-time world champion debater and former coach of the Harvard debate team, Bo Seo tells the inspiring story of his life in competitive debating and 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 fifth grade, something happened to change his life: he discovered competitive debate. 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. And he’s not the only one. Far from it: presidents, Supreme Court justices, and CEOs are all disproportionally debaters. This is hardly a coincidence. By tracing his own journey from immigrant kid to world champion, Seo shows how the skills of debating—information gathering, truth finding, lucidity, organization, and persuasion—are often the cornerstone of successful careers and happy lives. Drawing insights from its strategies, structure, and history, Seo teaches readers the skills of competitive debate, and in doing so shows how they can improve their communication with friends, family, and colleagues alike. He takes readers on a thrilling intellectual adventure into the eccentric and brilliant subculture of competitive debate, 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 essential to a flourishing democracy, and are more important than ever at time when bad faith is all around, and our democracy seems so imperiled.

Isadora DZ's Key Ideas from Good Arguments
by Bo Seo

Winning A Debate

To Start An Argument

Defining Success

Rhetoric In Debate

Discover Key Ideas from Books on Similar Topics

Isadora DZ's Key Ideas from Good Argumentsby Bo Seo

Winning A Debate

To Start An Argument

Defining Success

Rhetoric In Debate

Discover Key Ideas from Books on Similar Topics

Isadora DZ's Key Ideas from Good Arguments
by Bo Seo