Recently, some people have made me feel as if they didn't understand something that seems absolutely natural to me, that I (or anybody else) could argue for or against an issue without having any direct involvement in it, or even against one's own feelings.
For example, in all the threads relalted to Japan's war crimes and the Sino-Japanese relations, I have taken the side of China and othe Asian countries against Japan, eventhough my wife is Japanese, I live in Japan and like Japan so much that I made this site. Some people may think by reading only these threads that I am "anti-Japanese", while I am not. Japan's relations with its neighbours is of little concern to me personally. I don't really care who abused the other the most. I don't have any friends who have suffered directly Japan's invasion of Asian countries. So why accuse Japan, against my best interests ? Because I have a deep sense of humanism and like defending the victims, even if I don't know them, and once I have started and argument, I can get quite passionate about it until I prove my point (I should have become a lawyer
). I could of course have taken the defence of other side, and argue as passionately about it. In this case I took the victims' side because of my humanistic sense. Deep inside me, I don't give a damn, but it's so fun to learn about a sensitive topic, understand both sides' feelings, then destroy one side's argumentation.
In the thread Should Japan abandon the "16-rays rising sun flag" ?, I have realised that many people either lacked my humanistic sense, felt that Japan had not be ashamed of its past atrocities, or really didn't have any feelings about the issue, as quite a few disagreed that Japan had any issue with its war flag.
Again, I don't personally care, and even like the design of that rising sun flag, as I explained in this post. But once I try to understand the victims' feelings, and have already decided to take their side, I have to continue my argument to the end. It is just not logical that compared to Germany, Japan was allowed to keep its war flag while committing even more atrocities than the Nazi. And for me if something is not logical or rational, I just cannot accept it. I think it's even stronger than my humanism or any moral convictions (because these are always subjective or bound to some feelings of compassion or fear, but reason/logics is not).
Maybe there is a bit of distant personal feelings in my insistence that the treatment of Japan should have been the same as Germany's. Maybe it is because of my distant German roots, and I just cannot accept that Japan (even being married to a Japanese, and probably will have half-Japanese children) get a preferential treatment to that of Germany or Austria. But again, I am not German or Japanese, and I don't really care personally, so my argument is for logic's sake, so as to be coherent with the rest of my argumentation in other related threads.
One notable thread where I defended one side of the argument against my own personal feelings was The Gay Marriage Controversy. I don't feel very comfortable with the idea of homosexuality (especially male one) and feel even a bit disgusted by it, but I argued the whole thread that gay marriage should be legal and that homosexuality is natural and not a personal choice, because it is what I believe is true. Reason is almost always stronger than personal feelings for me.
What about you ? Can you easily play the devil's advocate ? Can yo get passionate about things you don't really care about, just for the sake of winning a logical argument ?
For example, in all the threads relalted to Japan's war crimes and the Sino-Japanese relations, I have taken the side of China and othe Asian countries against Japan, eventhough my wife is Japanese, I live in Japan and like Japan so much that I made this site. Some people may think by reading only these threads that I am "anti-Japanese", while I am not. Japan's relations with its neighbours is of little concern to me personally. I don't really care who abused the other the most. I don't have any friends who have suffered directly Japan's invasion of Asian countries. So why accuse Japan, against my best interests ? Because I have a deep sense of humanism and like defending the victims, even if I don't know them, and once I have started and argument, I can get quite passionate about it until I prove my point (I should have become a lawyer
). I could of course have taken the defence of other side, and argue as passionately about it. In this case I took the victims' side because of my humanistic sense. Deep inside me, I don't give a damn, but it's so fun to learn about a sensitive topic, understand both sides' feelings, then destroy one side's argumentation. In the thread Should Japan abandon the "16-rays rising sun flag" ?, I have realised that many people either lacked my humanistic sense, felt that Japan had not be ashamed of its past atrocities, or really didn't have any feelings about the issue, as quite a few disagreed that Japan had any issue with its war flag.
Again, I don't personally care, and even like the design of that rising sun flag, as I explained in this post. But once I try to understand the victims' feelings, and have already decided to take their side, I have to continue my argument to the end. It is just not logical that compared to Germany, Japan was allowed to keep its war flag while committing even more atrocities than the Nazi. And for me if something is not logical or rational, I just cannot accept it. I think it's even stronger than my humanism or any moral convictions (because these are always subjective or bound to some feelings of compassion or fear, but reason/logics is not).
Maybe there is a bit of distant personal feelings in my insistence that the treatment of Japan should have been the same as Germany's. Maybe it is because of my distant German roots, and I just cannot accept that Japan (even being married to a Japanese, and probably will have half-Japanese children) get a preferential treatment to that of Germany or Austria. But again, I am not German or Japanese, and I don't really care personally, so my argument is for logic's sake, so as to be coherent with the rest of my argumentation in other related threads.
One notable thread where I defended one side of the argument against my own personal feelings was The Gay Marriage Controversy. I don't feel very comfortable with the idea of homosexuality (especially male one) and feel even a bit disgusted by it, but I argued the whole thread that gay marriage should be legal and that homosexuality is natural and not a personal choice, because it is what I believe is true. Reason is almost always stronger than personal feelings for me.
What about you ? Can you easily play the devil's advocate ? Can yo get passionate about things you don't really care about, just for the sake of winning a logical argument ?
Last edited:
