- An argument is a collected series of statements to establish a definite proposition. Argument is an intellectual process. Contradiction is just the automatic gainsaying of anything the other person says.
- No it isn't
Penny for the reference.
Anyways, I just wanted to make a comment on the "Learn to use "In my opinion"" part of your argument. I tend to find that phrase misused, redundant or silly. It's misused when the person saying it is using the phrase to couch fact as opinion, thereby rendering his position unassailable (e.g. "In my opinion, the Earth is flat. That is my opinion and it is offensive for you to say I'm wrong, because opinions are never wrong"). This is only valid if you do not accept that there are basic facts about the world and dissolves into the whole "well, I have no proof you're not imaginary and everything I see is a lie" type of argument that is, frankly, annoying and accomplishes nothing.
It's redundant when the person uses it when they are expressing an obvious opinion. "In my opinion, Nike is better than Adidas." Here you're making a statement of preference that anyone is welcome to attack, but instead of defending the position with facts, you defend it by saying it's your opinion. Just the statement "Nike is better than Adidas" leaves you open to personal attacks as well, because it's just a bold statement that can only be countered with "No, Adidas is better than Nike." A much better way to frame the argument than "In my opinion" would be to say "Nike is better than Adidas because their shoes have stronger insoles that wear less with age, so they last longer." Now there is a factual statement, and the argument can take two forms. Either your fact is wrong or your fact is irrelevant. In this example, your fact being wrong would be something like, "The insoles last longer during trials using the X test, but the Y test is a more realistic measure of wear in a shoe" and now you debate the merits of how this is determined. The irrelevant argument would be something like "They may have stronger insoles, but Nike uses slave labor while Adidas does not, and that makes Adidas the better company to support" and now you debate which argument is more relevant to the Nike versus Adidas debate. For the record, I made this example up as something simple and I have little knowledge or opinion about Nike or Adidas.
Finally, "In my opinion" is used to hide silly arguments. I don't mean silly as in funny, but silly as in bizarre, offensive, or "way out there." Racist opinions, conspiracy theories, that sort of thing. You're putting a whole world view into a simple sentence that you feel is unpopular or easily attacked and want to avoid needing to defend it. This is very similar to misusing the phrase to defend facts, but you are actually stating an opinion this time. It's a fine distinction, but worth saying.
This is why I find that phrase useless and tend to immediately look down on people who use that phrase often. Frankly, if disagreeing with a person by saying "You're wrong, here's why" is offensive but saying "In my opinion, you're wrong, here's why" is not offensive, it's not the fault of the person saying "you're wrong." The person being disagreed with should just grow a thicker skin and focus on why there is a disagreement, not take it so personally that somebody dares to put forth a counter.
The problem isn't how you respond to the person calling you a dumbass, the problem is the person calling you a dumbass
