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The first time I saw US-style collegiate debate, it seemed like a great mind-game. Over time I've come to consider it though as the sign of a bullshitting cultu
by mihaic 4y ago
The first time I saw US-style collegiate debate, it seemed like a great mind-game.
Over time I've come to consider it though as the sign of a bullshitting culture, where the truth is irrelevant, and winning the argument is all that matters.
Professional debating and the article both feel wrong since they're missing the key element to me: synthesis of opposing ideas into something more than each individual side. It might happen that at times this synthesis means that one side is completely discarded, but the goal of any debate to me should be to achieve the sum of all truths that are held by all parties.
Most places from from schools to success stories seem to fail in describing the purpose of debating to me because of that.
- ImHereToVote 4y agoIt's the difference between being right and winning. Not the same thing. The best way to be right is to change your mind, since the odds that your model of reality matching with reality are stacked against you. If you don't plan for failure, you plan to fail. If you don't plan for being wrong, you plan to be wrong.
- nhooyr 4y agoWhat do you mean US-style? As far as I'm aware, such debate clubs exist all throughout the world. The most famous of which are probably the Cambridge Union and the Oxford Union both in the UK.
- mihaic 4y agoIt might be anglo-saxon style. I've never seen them in mainland Europe in this format.
- sebzim4500 4y agoI don't know about the Oxford Union, but the people arguing in the Cambridge Union generally believe the arguments they are making. This makes it quite different from debate clubs in school.
- onos 4y agoI agree. The fun thing for me in “debate” is understanding the arguments for and against something. Most often, arguments differ through either (1) the axioms used, or (2) there is a subjective preference at play. In these cases, there is no right side. Of course, there are cases with an answer, often scientific type questions.