re: The pen is mightier than the sword

Alright then. First to counter your arguments: "Ok, I'll buy that. May I also add that the sword also symbolizes power, or might. " - Uhhh, no. .. The sword only symblifies arms. " Ok, but all that means is that the sword is a creation, helped along by the pen. For an example, its like a mother giving birth to a child(the sword) with the midwife(the pen). Doesn't prove much. " - Uhhh, not quite. " Is this an opinion? Opinions carry no weight in a debate round. You know what the greatest invention of all time is? Hmm? Let me tell you: Its writing. I can go on and on, but I can't prove it. So this is a moot point. " - Oh yes I can prove it! I will explain it to you in a moment. " Yet, you link this straight to weaponry. Also, not all knowledge comes from writing. In fact, no knowledge comes from the pen. The pen does not bestow upon you great knowledge. It is merely a medium. Also, this has nothing to do with the debate. We are arguing about the pen being mightier than the sword. Not giving more knowledge. Mightier. " Knowledge doesn't 'come' from the pen; it is stored by the pen! You're right, it is a medium! It keeps knowledge recorded for others to acquire, therefore history doesn't repeat itself and we become wiser! And this does have to do with this debate! Not to be rude, but what a silly response saying that this has nothing to do with this debate! Is a library of knowledge more powerful than arms? Is the pen mightier than the sword? " The pen is a pen. Pens don't evolve. This argument gets you nowhere. The pen is not going to rule the sword. Writing words does not directly control the sword. It may influence the user of the sword, but the true power remains in the use of the sword. So this point is still moot. " No, pens don't evolve, they are merely a tool that allows US to evolve. And the pen obviously does rule the sword because it is what creates it! You say 'writing words don't directly control the sword. ' That's because it's a tool! Both the sword and the pen, and you are right, they influence us. You say true power relies in the power of the sword, but that's not true. True power relies on your ability to adapt, and that is best done from recording your experiences and learning from past errors. Here's a good example. There are 2 babies. One is HUGE, but has a learning disability. The other is small, but is quite a learner. The smart one will touch the oven door and go like OUCH, it is WRITTEN in his brain, and from then on before he touches an oven door he thinks: Hmmm, last time I touched this, I got hurt. Maybe I shouldn't do this again. The HUGE baby with the learning disability may be able to pick up things, but when he touches an oven door he goes like OUCH. .. . and nothing happens. Then touches it again. OUCH. And again. OUCH. And again. OUCH. But he doesn't learn from his mistakes, and therefore is doomed to encounter them again and again. "Ok, at this point, I'm getting the impression that my opponent is misunderstanding the topic that he set up. He keeps talking about idealizations of the pen and the sword, while the resolution we are debating is a much simpler one: Which one is mightier, the pen or the sword? The definitions of might have not been contested, so we can accept them. From that, you can clearly see that talking about a melding of minds has nothing to do with authority and power! I've shown how power does not stem from writing. You do not gain control of people by drawing. By just proving this, I can win this debate. By proving that the pen is not mightier, I can win this debate. I have done so. But to move on to my points: 1. We're not talking about what may happen. We are talking about 2 things. A pen. A sword. And which one brings more might to the table. You haven't shown how a pen brings more might than a sword. I have. This point stands. 2. I am saying that if you look to the definitions, and I quote from the definition, " (1): bodily strength ". The pen does not fulfill this criteria. " Oh, don't give me that! Don't get all wordy with me! By might I simply met which is more powerful! Now to argue my points: The ability to learn is. .. . strong. Actually, that is what true power is: knowledge. Now, the pen itself isn't knowledge, but it is a tool, a medium to spread knowledge and allow it to accumulate. The sword is a powerful tool, but without the pen, it will be poorly used. Pens are how you get 'swords' like nuclear bombs. However, without recorded knowledge, without wisdom, an idiot can have all the nukes and say "I'm the king of the world! " Only to destroy everything including himself. Or if you give a gun to a monkey, don't go 'bananas' if it shoots itself. Things that learn from their mistakes are more powerful because they are less likely to make mistakes, and therefore last longer. Also with learning, abilities are acquired, and those abilities eventually add up and allows one to have the power of all. Learning is more powerful than arms! This is why I have won this debate. My opponent tried to use semantics to tear down my argument. He failed miserably. He challenged my arguments by saying that the pen was just a tool, and I showed how he was right; it's a tool that only makes us smarter. I proved how learning was more powerful than physical might, basically that's why we humans are the dominant species, not Gorillas.