Ask HN: How do I get better at creating well-reasoned arguments?
Today I was told by my manager that my arguments come across jumbled and incoherent. This is not news to me. Since a young age I've found it incredibly difficult to reason about and form an argument for or against a topic. I first encountered this in my high school design and technology exam when I was asked to articulate why I would choose a particular material over another. No matter how much I tried, I simply could not reason about the different materials and which one would be better. 12 years on and I now have a PhD in computer science. I find software development extremely straightforward and the accompanying decision making easy. But during design discussions before development takes place, I still find it very difficult to present a reasoned argument as to why I'd design a piece of software one way over another. I mostly rely on an internal feeling that either provides positive or negative emotions (intuition). Project level decisions are also affected by this. The absence of reasoned argument is not due to a lack of trying. When I attempt to reason about a problem I struggle to think of the questions I should be asking. Thoughts about a topic do not come naturally, and often they are very cyclic and disjointed. It is only through writing down my thoughts that my argument gains clarity. You can imagine how problematic this thought process is for active oral discussions, my discourse appears sporadic and poorly thought-out. Is there anything I can do to improve my reasoning skills so I can participate coherently in oral discussions? 4 comments on Hacker News.
Today I was told by my manager that my arguments come across jumbled and incoherent. This is not news to me. Since a young age I've found it incredibly difficult to reason about and form an argument for or against a topic. I first encountered this in my high school design and technology exam when I was asked to articulate why I would choose a particular material over another. No matter how much I tried, I simply could not reason about the different materials and which one would be better. 12 years on and I now have a PhD in computer science. I find software development extremely straightforward and the accompanying decision making easy. But during design discussions before development takes place, I still find it very difficult to present a reasoned argument as to why I'd design a piece of software one way over another. I mostly rely on an internal feeling that either provides positive or negative emotions (intuition). Project level decisions are also affected by this. The absence of reasoned argument is not due to a lack of trying. When I attempt to reason about a problem I struggle to think of the questions I should be asking. Thoughts about a topic do not come naturally, and often they are very cyclic and disjointed. It is only through writing down my thoughts that my argument gains clarity. You can imagine how problematic this thought process is for active oral discussions, my discourse appears sporadic and poorly thought-out. Is there anything I can do to improve my reasoning skills so I can participate coherently in oral discussions?
Today I was told by my manager that my arguments come across jumbled and incoherent. This is not news to me. Since a young age I've found it incredibly difficult to reason about and form an argument for or against a topic. I first encountered this in my high school design and technology exam when I was asked to articulate why I would choose a particular material over another. No matter how much I tried, I simply could not reason about the different materials and which one would be better. 12 years on and I now have a PhD in computer science. I find software development extremely straightforward and the accompanying decision making easy. But during design discussions before development takes place, I still find it very difficult to present a reasoned argument as to why I'd design a piece of software one way over another. I mostly rely on an internal feeling that either provides positive or negative emotions (intuition). Project level decisions are also affected by this. The absence of reasoned argument is not due to a lack of trying. When I attempt to reason about a problem I struggle to think of the questions I should be asking. Thoughts about a topic do not come naturally, and often they are very cyclic and disjointed. It is only through writing down my thoughts that my argument gains clarity. You can imagine how problematic this thought process is for active oral discussions, my discourse appears sporadic and poorly thought-out. Is there anything I can do to improve my reasoning skills so I can participate coherently in oral discussions? 4 comments on Hacker News.
Today I was told by my manager that my arguments come across jumbled and incoherent. This is not news to me. Since a young age I've found it incredibly difficult to reason about and form an argument for or against a topic. I first encountered this in my high school design and technology exam when I was asked to articulate why I would choose a particular material over another. No matter how much I tried, I simply could not reason about the different materials and which one would be better. 12 years on and I now have a PhD in computer science. I find software development extremely straightforward and the accompanying decision making easy. But during design discussions before development takes place, I still find it very difficult to present a reasoned argument as to why I'd design a piece of software one way over another. I mostly rely on an internal feeling that either provides positive or negative emotions (intuition). Project level decisions are also affected by this. The absence of reasoned argument is not due to a lack of trying. When I attempt to reason about a problem I struggle to think of the questions I should be asking. Thoughts about a topic do not come naturally, and often they are very cyclic and disjointed. It is only through writing down my thoughts that my argument gains clarity. You can imagine how problematic this thought process is for active oral discussions, my discourse appears sporadic and poorly thought-out. Is there anything I can do to improve my reasoning skills so I can participate coherently in oral discussions?
Hacker News story: Ask HN: How do I get better at creating well-reasoned arguments?
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October 07, 2020
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