  Hawthorn Hill  December 23, 2009  Hawthorn Hill: Issues and
the arguments that follow  All too often we mire ourselves in
unnecessary arguments and debates. There is of course a certain
intellectual enjoyment that comes with that particular
territory. I admit that there are times when I delight in
arguing in defense of an opposing viewpoint just for the
pleasure of the game.  Plato advised us long ago to play what he
characterizes as the `believing game’ when confronted with an
argument or perspective that might run counter to one’s own.
Most often we find ourselves standing on firm ground, but the
deeper, more objective analysis of a position that the believing
game requires offers an opportunity to strengthen one’s position
rather than weaken it. On the other hand, there are issues,
however much they are debated, that are irrelevant to the larger
question that appears to have sparked an argument in the first
place. Given the infinite variety of ways we have of differing
with one another, it occurs to me t