I don't understand debate

Post Reply New Topic

The arguments I try to make on PPR have no logical substance and even on a forum I can have trouble expressing myself. What is the purpose of debate? Is it just for the sake of it?

Also there are certain threads on PPR that make me have anxiety. Like the doomsday clock, for example.

I am apolitical in the sense that I feel more apathetic about certain issues than I actually sound.

Ideally, the purpose of debate is to help us reason things out and figure out the exact reasons why we disagree with each other. I don't support the idea that debate should be a competition.

Emotionally, it's more complicated than that. We live in a democracy, and that means we tend to feel angry and threatened by those who would vote differently from us. Unfortunate, but true.

I'm pro-life in that I don't believe abortions should be so easy to get, yet I'm considered by my fellow humans to be a misogynist extremist. Why do we say that all pro-life groups are extremist or even anti-woman? Well, if the other side truly says they want to understand us, they are shooting themselves in the foot by acting uncivilized about the issue. Both sides have very strong ideas here. OK good, please don't disrespect the pro-life movement just because you can't agree.

If they call you extremist without any context, they're not really explaining themselves.

I imagine some women feel that since women are the only people that are biologically capable of getting an abortion, if you deny the right to an abortion, you must be attacking women specifically. Personally, when I look at other Republican positions like opposing birth control, minimum wage, and welfare, it seems clear that their real tendency is to cheapen the labor market, and not to hate women or protect life.

I disagree that I'm attacking women specifically by saying we shouldn't let them get abortions on-demand. But, I'm not opposed to abortion in selected cases.

But to draw similarities, I can also say that Christians and some other groups are attacking men specifically for wanting to Ban pornography, because men are biologically inclined to look at the material. And I can't name any woman who wants to touch it either.

And yes, I do believe the church is a little slanted against men too in these ways.

To me the point of debate is to get at the truth, whatever that may be, though for alot of people it seems like a petty game of one-ups and ego feeding.

The purpose of a debate is to try and convince your 'opponent' or the audience that you position is the correct/reasonable one.
Failing that, the second option would be to at least show that your position is reasonable.

In order to do that, you provide the reasons for your position, the more facts the better.
What you should not do is ridicule the other party(s), becouse even if they are wrong, that doesn't mean that you are right, you should simply show that you are (the most) correct out of all the options, which automatically invalidates the others.