Is There Anything To Be Gained By Debating?

At least half of it is due to the rise of echo chambers, Reddit is a good example of this

 

True debate is worthwhile. What you have to do is figure out from the get-go whether you are dealing with an intellectually honest person. The best way to find out is by defining your terms. If you can't even get that far without somebody disagreeing with your definition, then give up. You can also ask whether there is a possibility of winning the debate. For example, if the debate is on the second amendment, ask them who should be allowed to own guns, and why.

This always gets the lefties because they are big government tyrants, so they'll say that the state should own guns, but nobody else. Walk away, and very quickly. They have absolutely no interest in anything that resembles truth.

 

I wouldn't call that debating.

 

In your opinion, why?

How do you know if you've won? (And what do you win?)

I don't see anyone win. For one, it's subjective, And two, I've never seen anyone give up and say, "you're right, you win". People may give up out of exasperation. But no one is ever declared a winner unless they declare themselves the winner.

And just to bring Trump into this (uh oh), imo, he was a horrible debater. Just embarrassingly bad. Hillary, I don't think, was very good either. A good debater should have torn him apart. I would like to see Obama debate Trump. I think Obama was pretty good.

But as pointed out above, it's not necessarily logic and facts and knowledge and cleverness that "win". It could be just that people, for whatever biased reasons, subjectively think...that person "won".

 

It has been my experience that online most people come to debates with their minds long since made up.

Basically they are at that point looking for affirmation.

Of course that isn't an entirely bad thing either.

 

I think on here, it's mostly just for venting. That being said, it can make you think more deeply about your positions and learn more about the topic you are talking about. Most people probably just use it to entrench themselves more deeply, but I doubt anyone changes their mind during a debate.

 

Actually, it allows all of us to vent. I bet our collective blood pressure is lower by 5% because we get to express our opinions and not keep them bottled up.

And it's better for me to rip socialists here than to throw a brick at the TV when AOC comes on the screen.

 

If you’re out to defeat your opponent’s argument, why wouldn’t be called debating?

 

Because it helps to put your ideas through the wringer. We all have our ideas, but are we correct?

A good example is that years and years and years ago when the internet was brand spanking new, there was this thing called "usenet". It was an email based form of discussion exactly like we have here. I joined a discussion group that focused on philosophy. I knew the basics, but I got my butt handed to me three ways to Sunday. One guy even backed up his arguments using symbolic logic (last I checked he's in some think tank).

I had to study my butt off to even get up to a level that allowed me to participate. I did that because I wanted to learn, and I did.

Maybe the best example of how debate changed my own views is that my education was from a Chomskyish position. Some guy there was a real Skinnerite and he totally schooled me on how Chomsky was not a scientist. We went through chapter after chapter of Skinner's Verbal Behavior, and I learned more from those discussions than I had learned in 8 years of sitting in lecture halls. We had debates, and although I managed a few wins, overall, I am now firmly in the Skinner camp when it comes to radical behaviorism.

You know you've won when you've been schooled.

 

Yes. This is just for fun.


We are not saving the world

 

The purpose of the political debates, the campaign debates is so the candidate can express THEIR positions and you can make you judgement. Not to change your opinion on an issue but show they support YOUR position and will do so if you elect them.

The purpose of the debate forum here is for us to discuss our opinions on issues and events and to challenge those who disagree hopefully just on the merits of their debate instead of just accusing the other side of being being any one of a multitude of invectives.

 

You just asked a debatable question.......

 

But it should be the primary.....

 

But does anyone agree with me that there may be a negative effect from all this incessant 24 hour debating? On the internet, on TV...it just seems like every little thing is so over-discussed and debated that it almost seems like sensible thinking is getting trounced by this "game".

On one hand, some say it's a way to vent and relieve stress.

But on the other, might it also be creating more stress and tension...and exacerbating the differences and the divisions that seem pretty destructive at this time?

 

You're a great example of a person not to bother with. You don't care at all about the discussion or debating. You're just having fun.

Worthless.

 

I don't know about those TV debates. If you really want a debate, you're not going to find it on the TV. There are some decent debates on youtube. Perhaps the best example is the one between Rubin and Elder. Elder debated Rubin under the table, and as a result, Rubin went from being a TYT tool to a fairly conservative guy.

 

It's only debate if it's done in the proper setting. Where logical fallacies are rejected. Otherwise it's just an argument.

 

Sure, it's not though.

 

My use of the word "debate" includes all the meanings....formal and otherwise....discussion, discourse, argue....etc.

 

As others have said there is great value if one wants to learn.

I think it’s fascinating to learn why someone believes a thing even if you will never agree.

Even the insults are educational to me.

 

Nothing more than a bowl game or war.

 

Give me a debate is formal. It's between two parties and there's moderation. Otherwise it's just a discussion or an argument.

 

Online yes there are negative consequences people say things online that they wouldn’t dare say in person. Sometimes it exacerbates poor behavior

 

You are changing the world ....one post at a time.


Which is laughable