Quote:
Originally Posted by schex86
Then are you not guilty of the same??
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Sure. Why not? See how little it actually adds to the discussion? It becomes a kind of sophisticated-sounding name-calling that really serves as a substitute for
ad hominem attacks. Instead of saying "you're wrong because you dress funny," you can say "you're wrong because you violated some obscure debating rule". Meanwhile, the whole point of the discussion goes awry and any pretext of actually exchanging ideas evaporates.
Debating is competitive and has little to do with exchanging ideas. I find it a waste of time. Discussion is non-competitive. It's all about exchanging ideas.
And to bring it back to the earlier point about individual rights versus the good of society, I'll add that debate is about aggrandizing the individual at the expense of society, because it's all about who wins, instead of getting to some best informational result. Public discussion, on the other hand, serves to benefit both society and the individuals involved.