The ability to argue emerges early in life, as any parent knows. Children as young as two or three are capable of producing justifications and constructing arguments when they find themselves at odds with their parents or siblings. “As they acquire more language, cognitive skills, and social knowledge about rules and rights,” children become increasingly effective advocates for their own points of view, notes Nancy Stein, a psychologist at the University of Chicago who studies the development of argumentative thinking. The ability to critically evaluate others’ arguments—to distinguish strong
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