The Hungarian Argumentation Culture in the Light of Modern Societies

Abstract

In our modern times rhetoric and argumentation seem to be outdated studies, however, agreeing with other big thinkers of the field –e.g. Roland Barthes or Thomas O. Sloane- I personally believe that these sciences have got their importance in every age and culture. In Hungary, argumentation is considered to be less important than other sciences, which shows in our country‟s educational system as well: the argumentation subject can mainly be found in higher education while it rarely appears in domestic institutions at secondary school level. This phenomenon is related to the formation of Hungary‟s democratic history. As in the XX.th century a dictatorial institution could be observed in Hungary, the freedom of expression and the development of debate culture was not guaranteed. Although our country has been a member of the democratic states for over twenty years, it is still lagging behind the Anglo-Saxon cultures as far as debating goes. In my research I examined three states‟ argumentation habits (Great-Britain, The USA, China) through an overall comparative approach and found that these advanced countries highlight the importance of argumentation much more than Hungary. In my further researches I would like to realize a field research and also content analysis if there are no language barriers.