The Importance of Debate, Discussion, and Dissent

Written on Friday, May 16th, 2008 at 7:23 pm | by Nick

In the lead up to the Iraq War, initiated by George W. Bush, it was the absence of debate, discussion, and dissent that plunged The United States into a war they were really never prepared for.

It was the argument that if someone didn’t support the war, that they were unpatriotic, if they didn’t support the war, they also didn’t support the troops. It was the strategy to cease discussions altogether.

And those who chose to ask questions were silenced, but for the most part, the media ate it all up.

So this brings me to my point that dissent is not a tragic action going against the grain of unity, it is actually the weapon of humanity to advance knowledge, and bring democracy to the forefront of any discussion. If there were no dissent, a conflict of ideas, then we would still think that the earth was flat, or that earth was the center of the universe.

Yes, that’s right. A conflict of ideas is crucial for the advancement of knowledge. If we all thought alike, then our own progress would be impeded.

Those who are afraid of dissent, such as those regimes of Myanmar, Sudan, and maybe even The Arroyo Administration, are afraid of such debates on the issues, for fear that their ideas will be put to a test, that their propaganda devoid of real ideas will be exposed.

Those who fear dissent, may already know that their stand is built on sand, and that further debate and discussion will shed light on their flimsy arguments.

This is the true power of having further discussions on issues — and scandal. To simply wish them away does not give us more knowledge, it just makes the stupid ideas even more prominent.

Discussion on issues gives rise to solutions, it also gives rise to problems that we may not have even known about.

With our human intellect, why would we even want to put limits on our capabilities to solve our most pressing issues? The answer is, of course, that collectively, we are thinking beings with a need to ask questions — it is in our nature. And those who try to cease the discussion altogether are going against human nature, and human progress.

But those who wish to stop this natural progress are those whose ideas and propaganda has most to lose. They are, in a sense, the guardians of the status quo, indignant of change, for fear of losing power.

And these are definitely the individuals who, in a saying, has let power corrupt them absolutely.

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About The Author: Nick is a passionate Filipino, and a political junkie. His personal blog is at Tingog - The Voice of The Filipino. He is the founder and Editor not Chief of FilipinoVoices.com. He has been blogging since 2006.

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5 Responses to “The Importance of Debate, Discussion, and Dissent”

  1. mabini on May 17th, 2008 10:26 am

    but dissent brings fear to dissenter…while heaps of praises and accolades to the conformists. thanks God there is still freedom of expression for bloggers.

  2. Lester Cavestany on May 17th, 2008 10:38 am

    I hope that after the dissent, debates and discussions, we will somehow reach a consensus and see the way forward. Agreeing to disagree is good in some cases, but there are also times when reaching an agreement is crucial. It would be nice if we can all share the same dream and vision for our country.

  3. Nick on May 17th, 2008 3:27 pm

    @Lester, that is the point of having such discussions and debate. For without it, we cannot ascertain, we cannot know, which argument, or ideas are up to the task.

    I agree only on the level that the goal of any such discussions is to bring about a solution, or a conclusion…

    @Mabini, this is not the situation in many cases, all around the world. There are those who would like to censor the online world, to put a stop to the influx of ideas contrary to the status quo. Thank God indeed, but as with many rights, this too should be fought for..

  4. cvj on May 18th, 2008 11:15 pm

    Here’s a clip of Janeane Garofalo debating with an obviously pro-war panel from Fox News prior to the invasion or Iraq:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JCakTroF88

    I’m still amazed on how prescient she has been on how things would turn out.

    I also just heard Jon Stewart tell Douglas Feith (a neocon member of the Bush’ cabinet and a key-proponent of the Iraq invasion) that…

    “you removed the ability of the american public to make an informed decision.”

    …which i think ties in with your point.

  5. Nick on May 19th, 2008 1:46 am

    @chuck, ah yes, Fox News, the neocon base for press releases ..

    I haven’t seen that exact clip, but I’m not surprised..

    During the lead up to the Iraq War, I think almost all mainstream media outlets including CNN were trying to look so patriotic, that they lost the fact that their main duty in a democracy is to act as a watchdog..

    Many senior executives purposely pulled out those, who were skeptical of the war.

    And a balance debate became more like a rally for the Bush Administration..

    Jon Stewart, is surprisingly wise in many of his statements

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