Showing results by author "Bo Seo" in All Categories

When Bo Seo was 8 years old, he and his family migrated from Korea to Australia. At the time, he did not speak English, and, unsurprisingly, struggled at school. But, then, in fifth grade, something happened to change his life: he discovered competitive debate. Immediately, he was hooked. It turned out, perhaps counterintuitively, that debating was the perfect activity for someone shy and unsure of himself. It became a way for Bo not only to find his voice, but to excel socially and academically. And he’s not the only one.

Over the course of a lifetime practising and teaching debate, Bo Seo has made a successful career out of arguing. In the past few years, however, he’s noticed how we’re not only arguing more but getting worse at it—a trend reflected in our increasingly polarised politics. Tracing his own journey from timid child to world champion, as well as those of illustrious participants in the sport from Socrates to Sally Rooney, Malcolm X to Nelson Mandela, Seo shows how the skills of debating are often the cornerstones of successful careers and happy lives.

Good Arguments shares insights from the strategy, structure and history of debating to teach listeners how they might better communicate with friends, family and colleagues. Touching on everything from the radical politics of Malcom X to Artificial Intelligence, Bo Seo proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that, far from being a source of conflict, good-faith debate can enrich our daily lives. Indeed, these good arguments are more important than ever at time when bad faith is all around, and our democracy seems so imperiled.