Rule #1: Don't Be a Know-It-All

     A “know-it-all”: I am sure we all know one or have argued with one; Kelly Clarkson even wrote a song about one. People that believe they hold all of the knowledge, or refuse to look at an argument from any other side, are one of the major roadblocks that can come your way

when attempting to debate or argue responsibly. It is important to

make sure that you are not being a know-it-all as well, and

sometimes you may be without realizing it. 

As said in Gary Hatch’s “Arguing in Communities”, “No one has a monopoly on knowledge, and no one is right all of the time,” (p. 168). Today’s societal pressures have made it more and more difficult for someone to accept that they may be wrong from time to time, which makes it harder for successful arguments to occur. We see this daily in politics and world news and if people continue to believe that their opinion or answer is the only correct one, arguing and debate in society will continue to go nowhere. 
This is why I believe that one of the most important aspects of responsible arguments is being able to accept and acknowledge the other side, and change your thinking as this argument changes. We may already have a strong opinion on a certain topic, but we must be able to want to learn about other viewpoints of that topic as well. The best intellects are those willing to learn more, and many people today have refused to do so due to a fear of being wrong. As you argue, embrace the points of your argument that ended up crumbling apart, and don’t be afraid to admit that they did. This will help us all be more productive in our debates and help you, as a writer and thinker, build better arguments.