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> To question the premises of the debate rather than support a side seems like a huge cop-out No, in fact it is the beginning of wisdom. Contrary to your asser
by cratermoon 3y ago
> To question the premises of the debate rather than support a side seems like a huge cop-out
No, in fact it is the beginning of wisdom. Contrary to your assertion that you don't have to do research, the ability to question the premises begins with understanding not only your argument but many other arguments as well.
- zdragnar 3y agoIn my experience, it was a cop-out. In my day, it was usually centered on some grammatical error that turned into a game of semantics. The whole point is to catch your opponent off guard and reframe the topic into an arena they hadn't prepared for. Debate rounds don't really allow time for thoughtful contemplation; you typically have at most a minute of prep time between speeches within the round.
- cratermoon 3y agoWell, nobody ever accused high school debate teams as being founts of wisdom.
- oofta-boofta 3y ago[dead]
- sixo 3y agoIt's the beginning of wisdom when you do it on your own, in your own time, and at whatever length it asks of you. But another aspect of wisdom is to think intelligently about the problem at hand by choice. To refuse to do so, or not to be able to, is to not be wise.