Me, others, and even the classics
If you read with critical thinking

This book is the latest revised edition of 『Debate Class』, which was first published in 2023 and has been loved as a textbook for the class "Critical Debate with Classics" at Seoul City University, as well as being called the "standard of debate."
Various classics are presented as quotes, but are followed by friendly commentary.
The questions posed in each chapter lead the reader on a deeper philosophical journey.
The debate 'skill' of simply digging into other people's slips of the tongue and nitpicking to corner them is not desirable.
A true debate is completed when the debaters empathize with the other person's position and arguments while also seeking better alternatives; in short, they are cultured and intelligent people—in other words, they are active beings.

This book, while softening the existing context, addresses a wider range of topics and classics in greater depth than previous works, keeping pace with the changing social environment.
We have supplemented chapters such as Chapter 3: Inductive Argument with Francis Bacon, Chapter 5: Reading the Classics and Thinking Logically to Write, Chapter 6: Proof and Criticism of the Existence of God with Thomas Aquinas, Chapter 11: The Boundary Between Science and Non-Science with Karl Popper, and Chapter 12: The Artificial Intelligence Debate with Alan Turing. We have also newly added chapters 13: The Relationship Between Art and Technology with Walter Benjamin, and 14: The Scope of Free Economic Activity with Adam Smith.
By the time you safely complete this journey, I hope you will find yourself reborn as a philosopher with the courage and logic of Socrates, who sought out the wise men of Athens to debate and disprove the oracle.

The modern society we live in is a pluralistic society where diverse values ​​and ideologies coexist.
In such a pluralistic society, various conflicting and conflicting ideas exist, and for society to coexist peacefully and progress, these ideas need to be well-coordinated.
Throughout human history, we find many different ways to resolve conflict.
Among them, ‘discussion’ is one of the representative methods of resolving conflicts.
So, can conflicting ideas and conflicts be naturally resolved through discussion? What exactly is discussion, that it can resolve conflict?
--- From "Introduction"

How can we develop critical thinking skills that encompass both convergent and divergent thinking? To improve critical thinking, we need to know which elements to focus on in our thinking.
To improve your archery skills, it is effective to practice while looking at a target.
If you know the components and evaluation elements of critical thinking, you can practice around them.
--- From "Swimming in the Sea of ​​Post-Truth, Lesson 1"

ㆍLook at the problems in the following argument and try to revise it into a good argument.
① According to one statistical data, 96% of doctors are against installing CCTV in operating rooms.
Therefore, the mandatory installation of CCTV in operating rooms should be stopped.
② In the movie “Her,” the main character, Theodore, falls in love with an artificial intelligence operating system.
For such a topic to be covered in a famous movie worthy of an Academy Award, it seems that love between a human and an AI is possible.
③ The Earth seems flat.
I used to think the Earth was round, but I guess I was wrong.
When I watch the videos posted on the online cafe I'm a member of, I can't help but believe that the Earth is not round, but flat.
Would you like to watch this video?
④ I have already failed three times.
I submitted my resume three times to the company to get a job, but I was rejected every time.
The resume you just submitted will also be rejected.
⑤ Yeon-i is not good at basketball.
Since both basketball and soccer are sports that use a ball, Yeon-i will not be good at soccer either.
That's why we are so confident that we have won this soccer match.
⑥ I have to cancel the club dinner tonight immediately.
If you go there, you'll probably be drinking until late at night.
Then you will wake up late and miss the discussion class tomorrow morning.
In the end, my grades this semester will be terrible.
p128.
From "Let's Practice Together"
p160.
From "How to Treat 'Difference' Without Discrimination in the Quarterfinals"
During the 19th and 20th centuries, many human rights movements took place, including the abolition of slavery, the civil rights movement, and the women's suffrage movement.
It was a struggle to obtain equal civil rights based on the idea that 'all human beings have equal rights.'
The history of human rights is also the history of the struggle of those who were relegated to the status of "second-class citizens" and discriminated against because they were "humans" but could not fully belong to the category of "citizens," gradually expanding the category of "citizens" by demanding equal citizenship.
So, are the categories of "human" and "citizen" now the same? If someone is excluded from the category of "citizen," or not fully included, what are the reasons? Can the "public good of society" ever be a justifiable basis for excluding someone from the category of citizen?
--- From "How to Treat 'Differences' Without Discrimination in the Quarterfinals?"

If we move away from anthropocentric thinking and toward an ecological perspective, we can begin to see the light of day on environmental issues.
This is because modern philosophers believe that the current environmental problems have arisen because they have made humans into absolute and independent beings who can live without the Earth's environment.
So, if we move away from anthropocentric thinking and consider humans as part of the Earth's ecosystem, can the environmental crisis disappear?

--- From "'The 10 Strong Earth Judges Humanity'"