Printed Page 24
An important measure of ethical speaking is whether it contributes something positive to public discourse—speech involving issues of importance to the larger community, such as the need to increase safety on campus or take action to slow climate change.
Perhaps the most important contribution you can make to public debates of this nature is the advancement of constructive goals. An ethical speech appeals to the greater good rather than narrow self-interest. It steers clear of invective, or verbal attacks designed to unfairly discredit, demean, and belittle those with whom you disagree. Ethical speakers avoid arguments that target a person instead of the issue at hand (ad hominem attack) or that are built upon other fallacies of reasoning (see Chapter 24).
Follow the Rules of Engagement
Verbal attacks, heckling, and other forms of conversation stoppers breach the acceptable “rules of engagement” for public conversations. Originally used as a military term to describe how soldiers may use their weapons, the concept can also be applied to the ways we relate to one another in the public arena. Here, the rules of engagement oblige us to “speak the truth, to disclose one’s purposes, to respond to others, to listen, and to understand.”5