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Understanding through Discussion


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Author Topic:   What is the point of this forum?
Jumped Up Chimpanzee
Member (Idle past 4932 days)
Posts: 572
From: UK
Joined: 10-22-2009


(1)
Message 15 of 139 (535465)
11-16-2009 6:59 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Blzebub
11-15-2009 6:23 PM


So what is achieved here? Neither side is ever going to change their opinion.
I do think you raise a good point; it is something I have often thought. However, I believe we must continue the argument, for the following reason.
In my view as an atheist and accepter of evolution, I find it immensely frustrating just trying to get a straight response out of religious believers and creationists. Unfortunately, this sometimes leads to me expressing my exasperation in my arguments. I always regret falling for that trick, because it allows the other side to (fairly) criticise me on that point, although it hasn’t escaped my notice that it’s a tactic that they doubtlessly deliberately employ.
1) Be vague in your assertions, and evasive in your responses;
2) Let your opponent become exasperated and angry;
3) Point out that your opponent has stepped over the line of civilised rational argument;
4) The opponent accepts this and the argument ends without a proper discussion ever taking place.
I don’t know if you have ever had to argue with a large bureaucratic organisation, such as a government department or multi-national corporation, but it is exactly the same experience. They implement a set of rules and a system for enforcing those rules, while making it impossible to ever question or identify whoever made up the rules in the first place. This means that if you ever wish to question those rules, you’ll either be rejected out of hand or just sent round and round in circles. Sometimes you’ll speak to somebody who sounds reasonable, maybe even sounds sympathetic, but they just seem to have that knack of deflating your sails, side-tracking your argument (forgive the mixed metaphors) and making you think you’re better off shutting up rather than continuing to waste your time.
This is what they want.
And so it is exactly why we must never give up the argument, never let them relax and never let them get in a position where they can trample all over us with their irrational, unfounded dogma.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Blzebub, posted 11-15-2009 6:23 PM Blzebub has not replied

  
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