[NT] Debate = Good?

[Jonneh]

Do you enjoy debate? If so why, and what would you liken a good debate to?

 

[Forever]

If it leads to nowhere, not really.

 

[thepink-cloakedninja]

Ooh, I love debates, but only if everyone remains calm and civil! I like to debate many different topics ... Aliens, space travel, time travel, religion, story plots, MBTI, nutrition , health stuff ...

 

[Litsnob]

I like what I call discussion and my idea of discussion seems to align more with what others call debate. People tend to think I am picking fights or trying to debate them when I respond to things they say because I tend to assume any statement or expressed opinion is up for discussion. If you don't want me to challenge it (and I might not challenge it, I might agree with it and tell you why) don't say it.

 

[arthoe]

Yes. If the person I'm debating with isn't stupid or a brickhead.
aka can think in more perspectives and possibilities than their own.
And also see in different patterns/what if's etc ect. In other words: if they just can analyse and have some imagination (even at a basic level) = we're good.

Depends a lot on the topic of debate as well. Ofc.

 

[Carpe Vinum]

Ooh, I love debates, but only if everyone remains calm and civil!

Agreed. The key is civility. I can disagree with someone or believe that their views are biggotted and just plain wrong, but I will enjoy debating them (or seeing them debated) as long as the conversation is intellectually stimulating.

When a debate descends into emotional outburts and personal attacks, I'm done.

 

[Kanra Jest]

Yes! It is fantastic ground to sharpen your mind and test yourself and others. But also to understand others thinking processes.

If they get emotionally reactive I would get amused or annoyed, and tend to point it out and assert the foundation of all my points and watch them all apart. I've been relied on to back others in debates about anime before back in the day, as well as religion and backed someone in a corner resulting in insults ... but nowadays I don't humor debates much anymore. I just assert, and leave mainly if they don't understand. Rather than dragging it on too long.

 

[Lord Lavender]

I love debate when one of two things happen.

1. We get to have fun exploring new perspectives together and may even discover a new idea or concept by combining the ideas that we never thought of before.

2. I can troll them basically .

 

[thepink-cloakedninja]

Yes! It is fantastic ground to sharpen your mind and test yourself and others. But also to understand others thinking processes.

If they get emotionally reactive I would get amused or annoyed, and tend to point it out and assert the foundation of all my points and watch them all apart. I've been relied on to back others in debates about anime before back in the day, as well as religion and backed someone in a corner resulting in insults ... but nowadays I don't humor debates much anymore. I just assert, and leave mainly if they don't understand. Rather than dragging it on too long.

Haha I do the opposite! If someone gets upset I'll start arguing from THEIR side to make them feel better/dig them out of their hole.

 

[Kanra Jest]

Haha I do the opposite! If someone gets upset I'll start arguing from THEIR side to make them feel better/dig them out of their hole.

I couldn't. I have an overwhelming urge to speak my mind about anything of interest, whether that be a debate, picking out flaws in a series, issues in relationships, assuming it isn't very disadvantageous to do so or won't disrupt harmony too much. If it's too disruptive and won't produce good relational results I will hold back to keep the peace but begrudgingly so.

I'll admit I have a mild troll in me that loves to occasionally jab, but it seems the 9 suppresses it.

So when they get pushed too far back and start to get hostile you befriend them? I'd love to hear how that works.

 

[Totenkindly]

I guess I am getting old, but I no longer really care much for arguments/debates when there is heated discussion involved. I like the sharing of information and perspectives, but I've already had my time of arguing with people and many of the arguments through experience now feel old to me; I already know them. Just give me the key data supporting your perspective and see if I can follow your thinking, and vice versa.

...When a debate descends into emotional outburts and personal attacks, I'm done.

That + an inability to recognize foundational differences in arguments.

If we don't agree on the ground rules and can't recognize the basis of the arguments being made, there's no progress that can be made.

(For example, if one person's arguments assume the existence of god and another assumes there is no spiritual force in the universe, then they will argue past each other. However, they are both capable of looking at the arguments being made and saying, "Okay, if I accept your premise(s), then I can follow your logic." So then the debate simply becomes about the premises, which is fine. The problem is when someone insists that their premise is the only legitimate one and cannot understand an argument built on other premises.

 

[thepink-cloakedninja]

I couldn't. I have an overwhelming urge to speak my mind about anything of interest, whether that be a debate, picking out flaws in a series, issues in relationships, assuming it isn't very disadvantageous to do so or won't disrupt harmony too much. If it's too disruptive and won't produce good relational results I will hold back to keep the peace but begrudgingly so.

I'll admit I have a mild troll in me that loves to occasionally jab, but it seems the 9 suppresses it.

So when they get pushed too far back and start to get hostile you befriend them? I'd love to hear how that works.

Oh, that makes sense. *nods* I do too, though mine is more in the form of teasing people which is more often than not a sneaky way of me saying "hey, you're cool! We should be friends!" It's a bit like the more mature version of the 10-year-old boy flirting: "hey, that girl's cute! I'm going to throw a rock at her!"

Well, I wouldn't go straight to befriending them, though I have made a couple friends that way. My purpose in debating is either to convince someone over to my side, or to understand someone else, and in the former case causing someone to feel hostile towards my views will do far more harm than good as it will destroy any chance of them viewing the position in an open-minded manner. So if I see I've caused someone to feel defensive, I'll toss them a lifeline in the form of "so I think what you're trying to say is that ..." or "Good point! Another problem with my position would be that ..." And then I'll end the discussion with the other person feeling good and having several things to chew on. I'll also do the same thing when I'm debating for the purpose of understanding, but then my motives are more along the lines of not wanting to make the other person feel bad because I was just trying to understand them! xD

 

[Cellmold]

I thought I was the irrational, emotional one of my family due to my sensitivity. Until I started to debate and challenge them as a child.

Then my eyes were opened and I saw that I was not the only one ruled by fear, nor even the most ruled.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

I used to, but I feel like people no longer play fair, so it's not fun anymore. Some people don't really react well to having their basic premises challenged, however politely you happen to do it. I also think I've changed from being interested in always being right, to learning about something.

 

[FemMecha]

I really enjoy debate about ideas that focus on referencing information where people generally hold a position, but everyone exhibits some ability to have mental flexibility and consider various points of view.

I do not enjoy debates that are based on picking apart details of words, re-contextualizing them, and manipulating the hell out of people with semantics.

 

[Numbly Aware]

Ehh, I get excited from debates, as long as they're objecting for fun. If its serious, then bullshit (unless I agree, which is never ;P jkjk)

 

[Zeldon]

People tend to call me a troll or a spammer when I argue, due to the fact that I struggle with empathy.

 

[Dreamer]

I like what I call discussion and my idea of discussion seems to align more with what others call debate. People tend to think I am picking fights or trying to debate them when I respond to things they say because I tend to assume any statement or expressed opinion is up for discussion. If you don't want me to challenge it (and I might not challenge it, I might agree with it and tell you why) don't say it.

I was just going to post my reply along these lines but then I saw yours and felt I should comment on it.

I too don't tend to call what I do "debates" but discussions. Really, when an idea is a presented, I see it as fair game to poke around and to see where that idea came from. I play devil's advocate often too. Though, I should add, my poking about usually has little to do with what is actually being discussed, but what people say interests me more because it offers me a way to understand someone better by seeing HOW they came to their conclusions and to understand their biases and views on the world. In these discussions, it's usually much more one-sided where I contribute little and it's just me asking hundreds of questions.

When discussions surround something that actually piques my curiosity, then I do tend to focus on the topic at hand rather than digging into the mind of the other person and in those situations, I'm inputting far more of my ideas into the mix and building up this idea into something new. Sort of, building this new product with someone else, even if that wasn't their intention, but I can't help it! It's exciting

 

[Smilephantomhive]

I love uncivil debates when the topic doesn't matter lol.

 

[Zeego]

Agreed. The key is civility. I can disagree with someone or believe that their views are biggotted and just plain wrong, but I will enjoy debating them (or seeing them debated) as long as the conversation is intellectually stimulating.

When a debate descends into emotional outburts and personal attacks, I'm done.

Same here. I like debating as a form of intellectual stimulation, but when it turns from a debate to an argument I back out. Sometimes I pretend to agree with the other person just to avoid things getting more heated.