Debate

[Ness]

I was thinking, since this is a forum for debate, what are your views on the practice as a whole?

What's the nature of debate? Is it intellectual discourse? Controlled chaos? Simple argumentation?

Furthermore, why debate at all? What's the point of the whole thing?

What do you think?

 

[FF7Guru]

I see it as a polite mass argument. I'm a debator for my school, and it is quite fun in the Courier championships. FREE MINTS! But debate is fun as a whole.

Moderation Note:
In the future, please make sure your posts within the Debate Section are longer than 3 sentences, thank you. =)

 

[Crazee Dayzee]

It's fun... to an extent. It's when people feel waaay strongly about their beliefs that I dislike it. I hate it when people get too serious/feirce about it, so I enjoy having friendly debates with my friends and whatnot. I personally enjoy discussion more than I enjoy actually debating.

...I dislike debates about whether or not God exists. Doesn't it drive people nuts to debate about that? When I wasn't really depressed I would occasionally debate about it, but I can't understand how people can debate about the subject frequently.

 

[Ness]

Haha, almost forgot about my own thread. =P

I agree, debates can often get out of hand. I think that in their pure form, debates are meant to be tools of instruction. Each person bring their beliefs and valid reasons for believing said thing to the table, and actually hear each other's arguments.

The problem is, debate has become more of a competition than a tool of learning. People bring their beliefs to the table and fight for them vehemently, never once entertaining the idea that they may be wrong. That's the problem, how can you ever learn anything if you always think you're right? If someone bring up a valid argument against your points, do you actually take it to hear or ignore it?

Unfortunately, I think for many people today, the answer to those questions is a resounding "no".

 

[Gingerbread Lesbian]

There is a fine line in debating, you can have a very enjoyable debate (albeit, I only get involved if I know a lot on the subject xD) where people can express their opinions and what makes it enjoyable in my eyes is that you can get deeply involved in a debate and learn a lot from it, so realistically it's just a more and less restricted way of learning and as long as a debate is kept within the rules I do find them very enjoyable.

However, you have also have the not so enjoyable side of debating in which people can become sarcastic and personal attacks become involved which makes debating horrid. But I do think there is a fine line between the two.

 

[Ness]

I also think that debate is good practice for backing up your own beliefs. Too often, people believe something simply because that's how they were raised, or they heard it from a friend, etc. If someone must participate in a debate, they have to do research on the subject matter. They may have already formed an opinion, but now they've got to find hard evidence to support their conclusions. No longer can they rest on the fact that their beliefs are valid because "it's just what I know".

So, in a way, debate can (or at least should) be a learning tool for both parties. I personally believe that you shouldn't hold to a particular viewpoint if it doesn't make logical sense to you, so I would encourage people to test the validity of their beliefs. Debate is a good way to do that, if it's done properly.

 

[Lirael]

I love having a polite debate! Personally, I think debating with others, whether or not you have a lot to say, can be a great learning practice.

When I meet someone who has strong opinions, I will often question their theories. I will ask them why they think a certain way, how their thoughts are justified. I don't do this to be critical; I do this so that I can learn as much as I can, fill in the holes, and then reflect on what's been said to better develop my own personal opinion. I won't often adopt the opinion of the person I've spoken to, but their arguments do provide food for thought.

The debates which turn into personal attacks and trolling matches are just... irritating. Everyone is entitled to a personal opinion... I hate stubborn people who treat others with disrespect. People who think differently are not necessarily stupid.