Defend

Question

In the following sentence, what does ' defend' mean?( I am not asking the dictionary meaning) And how it is different from argue or debate?

Defend the use of wiretapping by agencies of state and federal government.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

If you are not asking a dictionary meaning, what sort of meaning are you after?  An imaginary one?

Sun 94 · Answer

Oh, I found defend in a direction for writing test and I am a little bit confused if there are any differences between argue or explain.

Anonymous · Answer

Come on, Sun

''Argue or speak in defense of" (freedictionary.com)

It's not enough to just explain it. When you defend something, you have to show that the statement you argue for is valid. You have to be efficient in doing so. Here, you have to prove that wiretapping by those organizations is reasonable, justified and necessary.

This means, in the first place, that you collect the reasons for it. However, if you'd like to be even more efficient, you can try to look for what arguments the other side will probably come up with and attempt to defuse those arguments. If you feel you can convincingly do so, it is worth including a refuting part in your essay, too. BUT, mention only those counterarguments which you feel you have a good refutation for. If you write down a particular counterargument whose validity you cannot convincingly disprove, you better not mention it at all, because it would just weaken your point.

Defend

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