Wanting to know the logical truth is what drives a person to think with reason and rationale.  The world would be a better place if people spent more time debating with reason and have discussions using rational arguments about issues and matters.  The problem as Rauhut points out is, “The premises of an argument are the reasons you think your belief about the world is true. Good and reasonable premises for an important claim are hard to come by, since we very often know what we believe, but we often are not quite sure why we do so” (Rauhut, 2003).

 Learning that it is not enough to know what we believe but that we must be able to defend our belief with logic and clarity will help to make better arguments.  It is not enough to just make a statement because it seems to be true even if said with authority on the subject.  Each argument must be able to pass the scrutiny test.  Many times, you can simply ask someone why they believe what they believe and that will cause the person to stop and think of the reasons and sometimes decide there is no logical reason why they believe what they believe.  Without a strong logical foundation of their belief some will immediately concede that their belief cannot be defended with logic and therefore is a weak statement of belief and possibly change their mind, especially if presented with reason of why their belief is not logical and cannot be defended as a truth. 

However, logic needs to be consistent within the argument.  Without consistency, there is contradiction. In philosophical investigation, on the other hand, the search for logical consistency becomes a driving force for innovation and philosophical progress. (Rauhut, 2003)   Philosophy is, as American philosopher William James (1842-1910) pointed out, “an unusually stubborn effort to think clearly” (as cited in Rauhut, 2003).

Clear thinking allows one to see things with different possibilities and not just as they think it should be which could be based on personal biases or experiences.  Thinking without preconceived ideas and opinions allows one to see possibility they could not see before with a clouded mind.  Sometimes the range of possibilities can be infinite which is why logic and clarity are necessary to narrow down to what is a valid argument.

Philosophy is about arguing but with a purpose of finding the logical truths and reasonable possibilities.  If one dislikes losing arguments, one ought to not get in a philosophical debate with someone who understand the concepts of philosophy as most likely they would lose the argument. However, they may gain a great deal of insight not only about their own belief systems but their world view in general.

References

Rauhut. (2003). Ultimate Questions: Thinking About Philosophy, 2nd edition.