- Capitalism and Alternatives -
A call for civility, rationality, integrity.
Posted by: David ( USA ) on October 22, 1999 at 13:55:19:
In Reply to: Speedily Declining Standards Of Debate posted by Lark on October 21, 1999 at 14:47:33:
: Finally if you enter a debate or conversation which authoritarian motives or a hatred for your opponent or the person your disagreeing with you are unlikely to convince them of your opinion are you?
I agree completely. In debate one must consider the burden of proof. Knowing something to be right is not enough. Ad-hominem and ad-miseracordial arguments count for nothing.
I debate because I find it to be a wonderful intellectual excercise. It forces you to recognize and opponents position and to refute it. It teaches you to see through arguments and find their flaws.
It seems that lately on this board the standard has gone down quite a bit. Maybe it is because people are getting tired or reiterating their old arguments or tensions are just running high. Regardless of the reason, I hope that this debate will reach a greater level of civility, integrity, and most of all, rationality.
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