Ten Guidelines For Debating / Discussion

*Mike* · 07-17-2005, 10:55 PM

I posted this here since some discussion DOES occur in this forum...and if I posted it in debates, it would go unnoticed.

1: Be polite.
-Anyone can state their own opinion like a rambling jackass, but saying it as such reduces the efficiency of such an argument.
Besides...no one can ever say you're getting angry at someone for having a difference of opinion if you're speaking in a calm manner.

2: Be eloquent.
-Once again, if you type like "iM am teh SPUPER PRSON! O SEE how StUdF woekd?" that says a lot about your intelligence...and thereby the validity of your argument is called into question.

3: Avoid usage of "Obviously." when relating a point to either side of the argument.
-It is not "Obvious" to everyone which argument is the correct one. Saying "It's obviously wrong to have an abortion" may be all fine and good for you...however it belittles anyone arguing the other side.

4: Be concise.
-Don't say things that have no sway on the argument, as it will discourage people from reading your post by adding unnecessary length to it...which also leads to the problem of being ignored.

5: READ CAREFULLY...AND DO NOT FORGET PREVIOUS POSTS BY THE PERSON YOU'RE ARGUING WITH.

For example...and sorry, I've witnessed countless examples, but coming up with one myself is rather difficult.

Person 1: I dislike Final Fantasy. It has had a recent downhill slump in the quality of its gaming.
Person 2: How can you say that?
Person 1: It has...I mean, just look at the sales.
Person 2: So you hate Final Fantasy because it doesn't sell well?

Person 2 obviously forgot that Person 1 mentioned a slump in the quality of gaming. And so...

Person 1: No, the quality of the games is decreasing.

...Person 1 is forced to repeat themselves. This becomes very tedious.

6: Don't force opinions onto people.
-It's naive to think you can change someone's mind. State your case and let it be.

7: Do not force people onto views that are not theirs using indirect questioning.
-It is more than aggravating when someone forces you to argue an opinion that isn't your initial one...and then everyone assumes you stand by that opinion.

8: Just because someone argues their point, does not mean they're FOR that point.
-For example...I argued PRO-beastiality at one point...well, not really PRO-beastiality, but basically not attacking it like everyone else was, and some people assumed I was into messing around with dogs.
-Incest? Ditto. So now I have sex with my sister...who's a dog.

9: Don't talk down to people.
-I see a lot of this in the religious community here...if someone's not religious, they seem to talk down to them, as if not having a belief in God is a death-wish. Though to the religious this may or may not be a reality, it is not to those that are non-religious. And the same goes, vice versa.

And finally...

10: Learn.
-You do not know everything...no one does. This is an opportunity to learn how things look from the other perspective. It's also an opportunity to strengthen your own opinion...or even create a new one, though that rarely happens.

Akki Koukou · 07-17-2005, 11:06 PM

Whoa I didn't expect this @@
Umm... your tenth guideline doesn't apply to me cos I know EVERYTHING!! nah jk :lol:

I'll do my best to follow your guidelines boss ^_^

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*Dave2* · 07-18-2005, 12:37 AM

It might be a good idea to pin this list in the 'Your View' forum.

Apart from 7 they all sound very reasonable. Much of debating is about holding up an opinion through rigorous questioning, be it direct or otherwise.

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*Mike* · 07-18-2005, 01:57 AM

How is seven unreasonable? Is there any merit in tricking someone into saying something that agrees with your opinion?

*Dave2* · 07-18-2005, 02:20 AM

When you ask a question, is there anyway of determining how the other party are going to answer?

Besides, 10 says the discussions are to learn from. You learn by asking questions - and by answering them. Defending your position against questioning, even if it is different to where you started, allows you to refine your ideas - to fill in any holes in your thoughts. To me, that is learning. I don't believe that it is naive to think you can change people's mind to a some degree - I have changed my ideals significantly over time, and even to a minor extent talking on SEF.

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Are you really gay ... if so ... i am too!! =]

haha it's funny how u put that thing i wrote to ya in your sig ... lol

I <3 my Knuckles.

*Mike* · 07-18-2005, 02:42 AM

^^Then either I wrote it wrong, or you got the completely wrong idea from it.

I wasn't saying "Don't ask questions." If I was, I'd've simply stated it as such.

*iXiON* · 07-19-2005, 04:12 PM

Seems pretty clear and concise to me, Mike. Although I doubt some people will abide by these guidelines, it's a good reminder that there is a right way to go about discussing things or arguing over them.

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*Evinex* · 07-20-2005, 07:42 AM

Seven's fine, plenty of people have forced me into something that I didn't mean, its a good guideline, like the rest.

1, 5, 7 and 8 seem to be the most broken rules on this forum. ;)

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-Kyuu-

*fenix down* · 07-20-2005, 08:16 AM

Nice rules Mike. I think you've said pretty much everything, but I would like to add a little to rule 4.

I quite agree that people need to be concise, but I also think that if you do have something important to say, do take your time. One line posts are no fun at all, and lead to misunderstandings. Basically if you have got something worth saying then say it fully not just a one line answer, not everyone knows how you are thinking so be clear with your statements.

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Let's not beat about the bush, if you post on SEF but dont post in the FFI-VI forum, you suck. Deal with it.

*yunalover911* · 08-31-2005, 06:22 PM

These rules are good! Good thing these rules are pinned.

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