Student to challenge use of war as metaphor for argument

When describing the nature of argument, war is one of the most popular metaphors — and one of the most misused, says Michael Yong-Set.

“For all the ways this metaphor helpfully guides us in understanding argument, there seem to be several very troubling ways that it can misdirect our thinking and miscalibrate our expectations when we argue,” he says.

A doctoral candidate in the argumentation studies program, Yong-Set will explore this idea in his free public lecture “Ending the War of Argument: A New Challenger Approaches,” Friday, April 20, at 3 p.m. in room 105, Memorial Hall.

Yong-Set is a student fellow of the Centre for Research in Reasoning, Argumentation and Rhetoric.