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Doug Thomson's avatar

A very interesting subject! I think you could write several posts just about this. For example, go into the psychology of those, like you, who love arguing and like to find friends who like to argue. Decades ago a college friend of mine (side note, we were both goyish products of the Midwest) told me he had left an English PhD program in part because too many people there were, in his interesting and memorable phrase, "Talmudically disputatious". This subject also brings to my mind one of my favorite TV shows, Curb Your Enthusiasm. There have been plenty of very entertaining arguments in that show over the years.

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Sheri Brown's avatar

I think the Talmud is full of argument for its own sake.

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Mark Oppenheimer's avatar

That's a great point--and I'd add that if you don't have argument as a cultural value, and mode to be explored, you can't have good arguments about the important things (which the Talmud also does).

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Gigi YK's avatar

Note the loud sound of higher education in a yeshiva—in its study hall, where men (to take a traditional example) learn in (intentionally)

argumentative pairs.

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Mark Oppenheimer's avatar

Yes! But/and also there are yeshivot where women do the same now

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