"We ought in fairness to fight our case with no help beyond the bare facts: nothing, therefore, should matter except the proof of these facts.” - Aristotle

 "We ought in fairness to fight our case with no help beyond the bare facts: nothing, therefore, should matter except the proof of these facts.” - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.). Rhetoric, 3.1, tr. Rhys Roberts, 1954

 At first glance, this quote seems to suggest that we should abstract all emotion away from our arguments. That we  should, in our attempts to figure out a truth or to change someone's mind, rely solely upon the logic of our argument, and the facts of the case. This is certainly advice that it is often wise to heed, for our emotions are always ready to engage, and thus to change our opinion. It is very easy for us to only see one side of an issue, or to make up our minds about which side of an argument to choose to believe, and all even before we have heard the argument, or seen the evidence, if we are emotionally engaged with the outcome. It is often easier for us to understand what the correct choice is if we are somewhat distant from the result of that choice, either temporally or practically. How often do we criticize someone for their decisions, but are unable to see our own decisions with the same clarity? The idea behind this quote is certainly supported by our attempts to make the correct decisions, and the correct arguments, on the level of practicality. However, it is very interesting that the quote does not argue its case on the merits of practicality and usefulness, but rather on the premise of fairness. 

Fairness is important to us for two reasons, one practical, and one personal. On a practical level, fairness in an argument ensures that one is not biased in favor of one side or the other of the argument. It ensures clarity, it ensures that facts speak louder than wishes. We want to be fair because we want to find the truth. We also want to be fair because we don't want to lose unfairly. Witness every child who has ever played a game - the cry of 'unfairness' is one of the most common, one of the most damping, because unfairness negates a part of us, it diminishes the importance of our actions, and the worthiness of our ideas. An unfair argument is one where we don't just have to beat our opponent, we don't just have to support our argument with facts, we don't just have to be right, we don't just need to tell the truth - we have to do all that and more. We have to be more logical than logic, or more emotional than emotion. For unfairness can be because of logic, or because of emotion. It might be that your logic is being ignored and certain acts are regarded as more certain than others, when really they are not. It could also be that there is an emotional weight on one or the other side of an argument, and it doesn't matter what the facts are, it doesn't matter what the truth is, because the side of the truth will never be chosen, if the side which is emotionally important is strong enough to ignore the truth. 

Thus, while it is certainly ideal to only speak of the facts, we should not be too hasty to only look at the facts of an argument. If we really wish to understand what is happening, and how we should judge, then we need to, quite often, also be aware of the logic being used,  or how judgements are being made, and also be aware of the emotional involved in the argument, because that will often reveal the actual issues at hand. If facts are indubitable, logic is not - there are also ways another way it is possible to interpret some facts. The strength of that interpretation is usually tied to our emotional state. This does not always mean that emotions are bad and should be ignored though, because we might not have all the facts. We might not be using the correct logic. Our emotions can deceive us and direct us away from the truth, but they can also be guides when we cannot prove the argument one way or the other. Not always a good guide, but a guide nonetheless. 


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