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> Clever writing can let you argue for any viewpoint. More people should participate in a debate club. A common assignment is to argue eloquently for a positio
by api 4y ago
> Clever writing can let you argue for any viewpoint.
More people should participate in a debate club. A common assignment is to argue eloquently for a position you don't believe in, allowing you to see how eloquent sophistry can be placed in service of any position.
When it comes to technical questions like energy it should be logic, math, and real data or go home.
- photochemsyn 4y agoThe source article here uses the rhetorical method of 'once I was a true believer in X, but then I saw the light about Y, let me share the revelation with you' and then tosses out a few highly questionable stats. It's a pretty tedious PR-centric approach.
- FreqSep 4y ago> When it comes to technical questions like energy it should be logic, math, and real data or go home. If those questions have real implications for human beings, you need to consider more than just the technicals.
- pessimizer 4y agoIgnoring the "technicals" when considering questions that have real implications for human beings is usually an rhetorical excuse given to focus on particular implications and ignore other, less favorable ones.
- infamouscow 4y agoThere can be more than one logically sound way to approach a problem. In general people want to solve problems. We just disagree on the implementation because everyone thinks their approach is the only solution.
- causi 4y agoMore people should participate in a debate club. A common assignment is to argue eloquently for a position you don't believe in, allowing you to see how eloquent sophistry can be placed in service of any position. I believe the opportunity for that has passed. Every debate competition I've watched in the last decade was just people trying to be as emotive and loud as humanly possible.