At what cost do we tread upon the woven fabric of society that is now dividing us because we think we have knowledge that fuses our disagreements into becoming weaponized moral issues? Are we so disconnected that we believe we are the only privileged owners of truthful information when we find ourselves in different corners of a debate? Is our world view that much different to begin with? Why is there so much tumultuous rhetoric being flung toward our conversations these days? I need only look to the “lame-stream” media to proclaim the child-like arguments many people seem to fall into before they see fit to unravel the chaotic rubbish embedded into the premises uttered. Even our educational systems feed politically correct agendas.
What is the source of our information to begin with? How do we know it is truthful, factual, or correct? This author believes whether we know it or not, we are in a cultural information war that is reaping havoc upon all of us.
Having healthy debates over issues is rightfully good if and only if the debaters allow the other to speak their minds freely without resorting to name calling and actually listen to the side of their respective opponents. I find that most people cannot properly debate their discussions on a social media platform among others. They do not follow any ascribed rules, but rather they tend to ramble on a diatribe of content that is not brought out into the argument with any integrity and tangles much of the content in logical paradox. If we make assumptions without proper analysis, then we can continue a conversation that will be laden with errors of logical deductions.
A few pointers for having fair intellectual debates:
- 1st) Never Use A Personal Point To Debate The Validity Of Someone Else’s Factual Point
- 2nd) An Argument Against A Reputable Expert Can Only Be Made By Another Reputable Expert
- 3rd) Emotional Responses Are Typically Full Of It
- 4th) Always Let The Other Person Speak
- 5th) Don’t be Long Winded – Make Your Points In As Few Words As Possible
- 6th) Lure and Destroy
- 7th) The Best Way To Respond To Name Calling: Silence
- 8th) The More References, The Better Your Chances Of Influencing Your Opponent
- 9th) Any Question That Anyone Asks You May Be Loaded
- 10th) Emotion Is Not Your Friend
When will we be free of this dishonest blather? If we do not approach one another with any constraint, we are destined to fall into baffled ruin like the children of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies!
The lessons of Mr. Spock could come in handy!
