Post by lyteblaze on Nov 17, 2006 15:20:44 GMT -5
(Hopefully this'll be alright to post)
Quotes are in Italic and Black. Enjoy.
What is a debate?
A debate is pretty much a discussion between opposing sides over a certain issue.
How to start a debate[/b]
Got something you feel really strongly about and want to defend? Any philosophical questions you want to discuss? Do you want to debate the meaning of life? Well, this forum is where you do it. Now, like any other forum, there are rules here too on what is a debate and what isn't, as well as how to respond to debates.
First of all, if you want to make a thread in the debate forum, make sure it can be discussed intelligently and would have two opposing sides to it. Don't make threads like "is killing babies wrong?" unless you're for killing babies. XD Then there'd at least be two sides.
Some examples:
I am here to tell you something very odd. Something very odd indeed... And hopefully we'll have a nice debate about it:
Let's take a table. It seems to exist. It's solid, you can sit on it, you can knock it, it can break, you can slide your hand along it...... BUT, there is a fundamental flaw.
Let's break up the atom, what's "inside" an atom? Electrons and nuclei, agreed? If you don't know, then it's true, just wait for your next year of physics. And if you break down those electrons and neclei you get even smaller stuff: protons and neutrons. If you break down a proton and a neutron there is quarks and gluons. BUT you can't break these down any further, they comprise merely of energy. Therefore (and utterly confusingly) meaning that this table doesn't exist. It is merely energy because although there are atoms, all they comprise of is energy, nothing more.
Just try and prove that wrong.
Now, for the always entertaining...
Examples of what NOT to do
NOO! LIKING AN ANIME CHARACTER IS NOT GOOD. losers...[/i]
No points to back up his opinion. It also makes the poster look bad.
How to respond to a debate:
The first thing to do, obviously, is to read the first post so that you know what you're debating about. Be sure to read it carefully so that you get exactly what the issue is they're presenting. After you read it, go ahead and give your opinion, whether you agree with the person who made the thread or disagree. BUT be sure to clearly state your reasons for agreeing or disagreeing. In this forum especially it is important to be able to explain yourself. Don't just say "I agree" or "I disagree" or "Yeah that's a good idea" or "yeah that guy's right." Give your reasons why.
Another thing. This should be obvious to most people but... if you disagree with someone, DON'T FLAME THEM. Just state why you disagree in a reasonable and calm manner. Also, if someone doesn't agree with you, that doesn't automatically mean they hate you or anyone on the opposing side of the issue. For instance, if someone isn't a part of the same religion you are, or isn't a religious guy at all, it doesn't mean they hate your religion automatically, it just means they don't agree with it. There is a difference.
Please note: For certain debates, a good response may require a little bit of researching. Don't be afraid to dig up evidence that what someone is saying is wrong. BUT BE SURE TO GIVE CREDIT, either by posting a link to the article or citing the author's name in some way that is clear to the reader. Also, don't just post links, post the specific information from the link that pertains to the debate at hand.
Freakin atheists!!!! God exists and its a sin for any of you to say otherwise, The bible is gods word, god gave the men who wrote the bible ideas, God also sent down jesus to teach us about sacrifice and so we could repent our sins. No offence to athesists but they are just cold and have no way to hope and are egositical people who just want gay facts to be happy.
Then there's this post (which was deleted by the person who posted it later on). A classic example of flaming people who have different views.
See, if you find yourself really angry, the best thing to do is to wait until you've cooled down to post, that way you can think more rationally and also not flame others. This person did that, good job to them.
Religion is all a bunch of crap and fairy tales
It's ok to believe that but first of all, it could be presented much less rudely instead of "religion is a bunch of crap". Second, this hypothetical post doesn't explain the poster's reasons for believing this way.
Common Debate Terminology
In this forum, unlike most forums, there are words people throw around that aren't found in other places or are used differently elsewhere. This section will explain the most common ones and offer examples.
Claim
When someone makes a statement and presents it to be true they are making a claim. All claims people make are fair game for someone to come in and disagree, so be sure that when you make a claim that you are able to defend it.
Burden of proof:[/b]
Whenever someone makes a claim, the burden of proof is on the person who made the claim to supply the evidence or reasoning behind the claim. You DO NOT ever say "prove that what I said isn't true." It is YOUR JOB as the arguer to come up with evidence to back up your claim.
Side note: If you make the claim and no one disputes the claim, then the opposing side concedes this claim as true.
Refutation:
When someone gives an argument which disproves your claim. If I say that the moon is really pink, and you give some evidence that the moon isn't pink, then my claim of the moon being pink is refuted.
Logical Fallacy:[/b]
A logical fallacy is simply a mistake someone made in the reasoning behind their claim.
Any other mods who have any handy suggestions for this sticky, feel free to edit it in. Anyone with questions/comments/complaints should PM one of the mods.
Quotes are in Italic and Black. Enjoy.
What is a debate?
A debate is pretty much a discussion between opposing sides over a certain issue.
How to start a debate[/b]
Got something you feel really strongly about and want to defend? Any philosophical questions you want to discuss? Do you want to debate the meaning of life? Well, this forum is where you do it. Now, like any other forum, there are rules here too on what is a debate and what isn't, as well as how to respond to debates.
First of all, if you want to make a thread in the debate forum, make sure it can be discussed intelligently and would have two opposing sides to it. Don't make threads like "is killing babies wrong?" unless you're for killing babies. XD Then there'd at least be two sides.
Some examples:
I am here to tell you something very odd. Something very odd indeed... And hopefully we'll have a nice debate about it:
Let's take a table. It seems to exist. It's solid, you can sit on it, you can knock it, it can break, you can slide your hand along it...... BUT, there is a fundamental flaw.
Let's break up the atom, what's "inside" an atom? Electrons and nuclei, agreed? If you don't know, then it's true, just wait for your next year of physics. And if you break down those electrons and neclei you get even smaller stuff: protons and neutrons. If you break down a proton and a neutron there is quarks and gluons. BUT you can't break these down any further, they comprise merely of energy. Therefore (and utterly confusingly) meaning that this table doesn't exist. It is merely energy because although there are atoms, all they comprise of is energy, nothing more.
Just try and prove that wrong.
Now, for the always entertaining...
Examples of what NOT to do
NOO! LIKING AN ANIME CHARACTER IS NOT GOOD. losers...[/i]
No points to back up his opinion. It also makes the poster look bad.
How to respond to a debate:
The first thing to do, obviously, is to read the first post so that you know what you're debating about. Be sure to read it carefully so that you get exactly what the issue is they're presenting. After you read it, go ahead and give your opinion, whether you agree with the person who made the thread or disagree. BUT be sure to clearly state your reasons for agreeing or disagreeing. In this forum especially it is important to be able to explain yourself. Don't just say "I agree" or "I disagree" or "Yeah that's a good idea" or "yeah that guy's right." Give your reasons why.
Another thing. This should be obvious to most people but... if you disagree with someone, DON'T FLAME THEM. Just state why you disagree in a reasonable and calm manner. Also, if someone doesn't agree with you, that doesn't automatically mean they hate you or anyone on the opposing side of the issue. For instance, if someone isn't a part of the same religion you are, or isn't a religious guy at all, it doesn't mean they hate your religion automatically, it just means they don't agree with it. There is a difference.
Please note: For certain debates, a good response may require a little bit of researching. Don't be afraid to dig up evidence that what someone is saying is wrong. BUT BE SURE TO GIVE CREDIT, either by posting a link to the article or citing the author's name in some way that is clear to the reader. Also, don't just post links, post the specific information from the link that pertains to the debate at hand.
Freakin atheists!!!! God exists and its a sin for any of you to say otherwise, The bible is gods word, god gave the men who wrote the bible ideas, God also sent down jesus to teach us about sacrifice and so we could repent our sins. No offence to athesists but they are just cold and have no way to hope and are egositical people who just want gay facts to be happy.
Then there's this post (which was deleted by the person who posted it later on). A classic example of flaming people who have different views.
See, if you find yourself really angry, the best thing to do is to wait until you've cooled down to post, that way you can think more rationally and also not flame others. This person did that, good job to them.
Religion is all a bunch of crap and fairy tales
It's ok to believe that but first of all, it could be presented much less rudely instead of "religion is a bunch of crap". Second, this hypothetical post doesn't explain the poster's reasons for believing this way.
Common Debate Terminology
In this forum, unlike most forums, there are words people throw around that aren't found in other places or are used differently elsewhere. This section will explain the most common ones and offer examples.
Claim
When someone makes a statement and presents it to be true they are making a claim. All claims people make are fair game for someone to come in and disagree, so be sure that when you make a claim that you are able to defend it.
Burden of proof:[/b]
Whenever someone makes a claim, the burden of proof is on the person who made the claim to supply the evidence or reasoning behind the claim. You DO NOT ever say "prove that what I said isn't true." It is YOUR JOB as the arguer to come up with evidence to back up your claim.
Side note: If you make the claim and no one disputes the claim, then the opposing side concedes this claim as true.
Refutation:
When someone gives an argument which disproves your claim. If I say that the moon is really pink, and you give some evidence that the moon isn't pink, then my claim of the moon being pink is refuted.
Logical Fallacy:[/b]
A logical fallacy is simply a mistake someone made in the reasoning behind their claim.
Any other mods who have any handy suggestions for this sticky, feel free to edit it in. Anyone with questions/comments/complaints should PM one of the mods.
