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> I might never be able to convince the person I am discussing with, but I might convince the audience. Reading the comments around this blogpost here on in ot

by diggan 2y ago

> I might never be able to convince the person I am discussing with, but I might convince the audience. Reading the comments around this blogpost here on in other places, I feel like I'm almost alone in not trying to convince anyone when I argue with strangers online (most of the times), neither the other person I'm discussing with, or others who might be reading. I mostly reply because there are unanswered questions that if answered, might teach me something new. Most of the times I'm just seeking understanding from both sides, not convincing the other. Do most people argue on the internet with strangers in order to convince others of something? If so, how does your success rate look like? I probably feel like aiming for that would be futile at best.

specialist 2y ago
There are many forms (styles) of discourse, no? Rhetoric, dialectic, sophistry, trolling, slap fights, agitprop. To the OC's point, while the affordances of hot mediums like social media and message boards tend towards juicing dopamine, with some investment they can also be used for discourse. As OC Defender advocates. As moderators like u/dang facilitate. -- My meager "yes and" contributions to Defender's post are... > how to make the world a better place Since at least Socrates, humans have been arguing about what it means to be a good person, how to live a good life, what is true and beautiful. aka moral philosophy. I praise and appreciate Defender for continuing this distinctly human tradition. > This shows a genuine interest in understanding because it cannot be faked. TMI: Maybe 6-7 years ago, I heard the advice "When something (or someone) doesn't make sense to you, get curious." By fits and starts, but mostly backsliding, I've been trying to embrace this advice. Hard as it is, doing so has helped, a lot. > Yes, this is a lot of work. True. -- PS: affordances in the Donald Norman sense; hot/cold mediums in the Marshall McLuhan sense.

by diggan 2y ago

specialist 2y ago

There are many forms (styles) of discourse, no? Rhetoric, dialectic, sophistry, trolling, slap fights, agitprop. To the OC's point, while the affordances of hot mediums like social media and message boards tend towards juicing dopamine, with some investment they can also be used for discourse. As OC Defender advocates. As moderators like u/dang facilitate. -- My meager "yes and" contributions to Defender's post are... > how to make the world a better place Since at least Socrates, humans have been arguing about what it means to be a good person, how to live a good life, what is true and beautiful. aka moral philosophy. I praise and appreciate Defender for continuing this distinctly human tradition. > This shows a genuine interest in understanding because it cannot be faked. TMI: Maybe 6-7 years ago, I heard the advice "When something (or someone) doesn't make sense to you, get curious." By fits and starts, but mostly backsliding, I've been trying to embrace this advice. Hard as it is, doing so has helped, a lot. > Yes, this is a lot of work. True. -- PS: affordances in the Donald Norman sense; hot/cold mediums in the Marshall McLuhan sense.