People, either individually or in groups, often choose a specific course of action. However, the question is how they decide on the arguments to support. Arguers usually get influenced by their environment and available resources, or their idea seems constrained by choice structure. Individuals typically make decisions by relying on a practical reason such that the beliefs in those arguments help arguers decide on the action to take. Alvarez (2018) illustrated that it is through sense individuals determine how they will act. An example of a practical reason is a political and social argument. The necessity of making tentative arguments that convince other people is evident in associations and social movements due to the need for justification. There is a need to expound on how ideas fundamentally impact the world beyond domestic spheres. Change can be attained with an ethical argument in place of the present experiences through the use of views such as the seven mountains of cultural influence, the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, territories, and the Hegelian dialectic.
Argument and Rationality
The assumption of rationality presents the pursuit of personal interests, thus, of minimal importance on how actors use arguments to change the world or persuade others to act similarly. Consider structural theories of politics that posit the characteristics of the international system, explaining most outcomes regarding rationality. Likewise, constructivists who hold that rules regulate people’s behavior further imply that a rational core exists in international matters (Van et al., 2019). In another view, critical theoretical approaches to world economics and politics emphasize discourse and articulate a position for the argument (Ramage et al., 2018). For example, international relations and policymaking are characterized by socio-economic and political statements between governmental institutions and the public sphere. When foreign policy decision-makers decide to take action, they argue about the steps to handle due to conflicting and preexisting beliefs.
The correlation between argument and belief translates into social, political, and economic activity through argumentation. According to Perelman (2020), arguments are not solely rhetoric because of the impact of various discourses. The military fight for numerous causes, which applies to interstate conflict, whatever the reason. Soldiers display courage and heroism on the battlefield as they study other armies’ war tactics. Understanding their course of action demands knowledge of moral convictions and an emotional contest to argumentation. In this line, it is vital to enquire about the factors that shape people’s decision to choose a specific course of action. Thus, the dominant view is that arguments involve individuals and groups, gaining gain content embedded within cultures.
The Seven Mountains of Cultural Influence
The concept of the seven mountains of cultural influence shows how people engage in societal spheres and bring change to the community. It indicates that human society exists in forms of culture, including religion, the media, education, the arts, government, family, and business (Van et al., 2019). Each of the seven affects every facet of society and toward moral uprightness. Further, the call for every individual is to engage on the seven hills and uphold ethics in their argumentation (Van et al., 2019). Considering the realm of education, for example, high schools and universities, each learning institution’s curriculum can be challenged by other organizations, especially when the moral standings of education and modern society are questioned.
Different religious devotional institutions exist, such as Catholic churches, Judaism, evangelical churches, and other faiths. The existence depicts how religion is critical in promoting change, as each has unique beliefs. Most churches shift toward gospel prosperity and liberal theology. Also, churches are increasingly embracing progressive ideologies, including marriage and sexual orientation (Van et al., 2019). However, this has sparked debates across religions and societies, given the solid clerical movement in the contemporary world. The media further exacerbates these conversations by creating platforms for free dialogue between people and institutions but can distort the public’s perception of argumentation and change.
The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis posits that a person’s native language influences their thoughts, and as a consequence, different languages among speakers, thus, think differently. However, the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is controversial for several theoretical and empirical reasons. Theoretically, it challenges the universal belief of rest as a cognitive foundation (Regier & Xu, 2018). The assumption is consistent with many theories and findings, and challenging it appears insufficient. Some results support the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, but some are inconsistent (Koparan, 2020; Regier & Xu, 2018). In this respect, empirically and theoretically, the assumption is not firmly supported and holds a contested position. The Sapir-Whorf theory can potentially resolve both concerns by taking a probabilistic inference. Recent work provides important insight in probabilistic terms that account for evidence supporting the hypothesis and maintaining cognitive certainty of a universal assumption modulating the role of language in modulating cognition.
Subsequently, uncertainty determines where the continuum of the hypothesis of a situation falls. In the Sapir-Whorf belief, a state can think of resources and find that some are unavailable because of inadequate funds or scarcity, inducing uncertainty in economic growth. In such circumstances, resource uncertainty essentially creates opportunities to language such that there is a dialogue about the missing resources that further impact argumentation (Yang & Shan, 2022). Conversely, language has minimal effect on the certainty of comparatively non-linguistic information. Essentially, uncertainty provides a cognitive effect on speech and argumentation. Given this reason, including uncertainty as a mediating force can explain the inconsistency of empirical records. According to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, language shapes the larger context of reality. In this sense, he recognized the objective role of fact, which is influenced by linguistic habits explaining the active role of argumentation in influencing major world events. The way people speak or think can influence their perception of the world.
Ideas Have Consequences
The twenty-first century is at the height of innovative and rapid progress, with unprecedented outbreaks of violence and public health issues. According to Alvarez (2018), such disintegration arouses fear, leading to desperate efforts toward survival that accelerate the process. For example, an important event in Western culture was the defeat of logical realism issues in modern times. While this implies oversimplification of historical processes, it views the conscious policies of societies and governments as deductions from core ideas of human existence and that people can determine their course. Ultimately, the issue arises on the source of truth and answer to a question as decisive for a person’s view of the world.
Principally, the nominalist philosophy dispels the reality perceived by arguers and posits the existence perceived by ethics. Cultural orientation takes a turn in modern empiricism with such a change in the affirmation of truth. Additionally, it can be challenging to focus on the significance of change because of its abstract nature (Foss & Griffin, 2020; Perelman, 2020). Worldview is among the most important things about people, as individuals argue. A change in belief can profoundly influence every concept that eventually emerges before the doctrine of nature, given that it is assumed to imitate a transcendent model. Challenging dominant ideologies like public policy have a more significant impact on society. Therefore, it can be deduced that ideologies and argumentation are the chief means of effecting change.
The Territorial State
Change is central to remaining relevant in today’s world, from the change in technologies to various sectors like education, social policies, and public health. For instance, policymakers in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries face numerous economic crises (Wirtz & Zimbres, 2018). Policy change is widely researched in political science, unlike in other areas. An untheoretical approach can be identified in argumentation and favourable modification in education. Custom change may fail to lead to desired outcomes with the omission of strategic implementation; this raises the question of how people can explain the role of argumentation in policy change and performance.
Despite the growing body of literature on argumentation and change, they engage with few theories primarily applicable to public policy and political change. The key challenges that can be cited include focusing on the role of governments in the international system, greater discussions of global crises, attention to ideology, and a comprehensive understanding of international actors. In this sense, the rapid and vast territorial and geopolitical changes in today’s world will affect global trajectories in the coming years (Heininen, 2018). The dramatic power shift enabled by geopolitical instability may result in a multifaceted network that will influence dialogues for national and global actions. Providing a framework for the possible implications of conventional modes of behavior and thought on geopolitical change is imperative.
The Hegelian Dialectic
Furthermore, Hegel’s core dialectic object was to establish a logical correlation between different categories in the constitution of experience. Hegel contended that such a connection if sufficiently scrutinized, could lead to another such that using one subject while refusing to use the second of the same subject leads to a contradiction, which continues until the dialectic goal is attained (Diesing, 2019). Several advances can be found in examining geopolitical influence on change. Essentially, exploring specific categories results in conclusions compelled by ethical arguments and consistency in the predicate of contrary attributes of the same subject. Ogungbure (2018) contended that analyzing the type of transitions modified as dialectic advances in grasping Hegel’s assertions is essential. Furthermore, in geopolitical spaces where various forms are closely connected, the gradual change that forms the content of geopolitical factors should react to the nature of change.
Conclusion
Argumentation is central to understanding social, political, and economic change across institutions. Apart from allowing an exchange of information through dialogues, argumentation guides the management of contradictory information. Thus, policymakers can handle uncertainty about political or economic talks or the conclusion of a reasoning process through argumentation. Practical applications are evident in the seven mountains of influence, from religion to education. Theoretical approaches to world socio-economic and political discourse articulate a position for argument. People often make decisions dependent on practical reasons, influencing their course of action. In addition, argumentation theory proposes frameworks for concluding acceptable dynamics and facets of life. Change is normative and can be achieved through logic-based argumentation.
References
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