How can we discuss difficult questions well?

Public debate is full of familiar questions about equality, autonomy, justice, and the rights of minorities. Yet answers often collapse into emotion, tribal allegiance, or sarcasm. Engaging with complex issues demands a foundational ability: critical thinking.

What is critical thinking?

1. An open attitude that resists rushing to conclusions
2. Rigorous logic and a clear path for analyzing problems
3. Clear expression supported by appropriate argument

Drawing on more than a decade of debating experience, Pang Ying presents a practical set of transferable techniques. You may never become a competitive debater, but the ability to reason is essential both to public discussion and everyday problem-solving.

A three-step course

1. Challenge: identify fallacies by dismantling and rebuilding thirteen logical dilemmas.
2. Construct: use nine analytical frameworks to build the overall structure of an argument.
3. Practice: locate disagreements and practice expression through classic debate scenarios.

In the scenario section, debate champion Zhan Qingyun joins Pang Ying for thirteen one-on-one simulations. Together they show how to find the heart of a tangled issue, remove distractions, uncover hidden connections, and break an enormous question into a path toward mutual understanding.

Begin with disagreement, and reason toward common ground.