What are your aims in debate?

What are your aims in debate? What do you seek to accomplish when you debate someone here or in real life? Why those aims and not others?

ThePlayDrive said:

What are your aims in debate? What do you seek to accomplish when you debate someone here or in real life? Why those aims and not others?

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Learn something.
Challenge my own beliefs.
Those are why I enjoy debating on here.

The least important thing to me is to change the mind of another person.

Depends on the thread or topic.

Sometimes I post to provide more information.
Sometimes I provide a new insight (hopefully) or new information (hopefully) that might further somebody else's opinion (either in line with or contradictory to mine).
Somtimes I post to entertain (hopefully).
Sometimes I post because I agree/disagree and want to mention something that hasn't already been mentioned.

I don't ever post with the intent to change an opinion. I may do that on rare occasion, but I don't expect to.

In arguing your points, you learn to make them stronger and you can scrutinize them for inconsistencies; in such a manner, through self-reflection, sure, you can become a more logical person and a better critical thinker.

Educating others and changing their mind when you can is a good goal; often, exposing their ignorance of fact goes hand in hand with that.

all of the above + fun

sharing my thoughts on the issues we are discussing and trying to learn something from the others

Educate. Try to bring to the forefront the issues the MSM try hard to ignore/censor. Break thru the Imagery that the "Mighty Wurlitzer" works hard to craft and disseminate. Iconoclast, just like it says.

I love it when a pole actually has the right answer.

By calling out ignorance and hypocrisy you can deflate the ego and momentum of the far-right and far-left.

Obama is a moderate on economic issues and a conservative on foreign policy. Ignorant posters assume because I support him I'm a socialist/leftist--that's their lack of education and understanding of political terms.

ThePlayDrive said:

What are your aims in debate? What do you seek to accomplish when you debate someone here or in real life? Why those aims and not others?

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Learn more and engage is discussion.

I enjoy challenging myself and my own skills, researching issues. The intellectual chess game that occasionally transpires is a great deal of fun. Being right or wrong is not a draw for me, it is the preparation and the "battle" itself.

I'm just here to have fun.

ThePlayDrive said:

What are your aims in debate? What do you seek to accomplish when you debate someone here or in real life? Why those aims and not others?

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Relate, not dominate.

Changing someone else's mind is impossible and it makes you a tool for the lazy.
Exposing the ignorance of others is pointless and arrogant.
Educating others is selling yourself short.
Self-improvement ignores how debate is a give and take.
Audience approval lets the other side abuse you.

To bring civilization to the unwashed, barbarian masses.

I enjoy discussing issues with people. I detest arguing.

I especially enjoy discussing when the two sides can be intellectually honest and mature and acknowledge the other person's point, if a good point has been made. I have little patience for those who are so insecure that they cannot... will not... concede a good point. There have been times that the other person makes a very good point, and I try to acknowledge that. That does not mean, however, that it was enough to change my mind. It just means that that particular issue isn't black/white or right/wrong.

Outright reversals of conclusion are rare for anybody, I believe, but most I think are open to seeds being planted to cause them to consider their position more thoroughly. They then either become even more convinced their conclusions are correct, or they evolve to something else. Either one is perfectly legit.

There are some people, admittedly and relatively few in number, that are so extreme and/or ridiculous that they need to be challenged on occasion.

Nuclear Devestation.

Online, just a way to pass the time when bored at work, or to vent when friends are busy. Eventually i'll get bored of repeating myself. It's certainly not to change opinions on the Internet. What could be more futile than that? IRL, the content of what i say isn't really different when we do have discussions like that, but it's certainly nowhere near as often. People around here don't say hateful **** like "Yeah absolutely we should beat up 5 year olds who act gay."

I don't feel tempted to engage in lengthy debate with someone who, whether i agree or not, can at least rationally defend their positions. For example, with the death penalty, they already know about things like coerced confessions, lawyers who fall asleep during trial, the mentally retarded and children being executed. They just don't agree for emotional reasons, and it becomes pointless and boring to continue. But i respect them for at least being informed.

Online, you can always find many who don't know any of those facts, about any number of issues, who say the most hilariously ignorant things that i would never in a million years imagine possible. Occasionally I'll be inspired, but it's a mostly just an entertaining way to pass the time.

ThePlayDrive said:

What are your aims in debate? What do you seek to accomplish when you debate someone here or in real life? Why those aims and not others?

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Oh....in real life? When I use 'debate' it's usually to persuade someone or put an idea in their head. The trick is getting them to think they thought of it. Inception.

A few things in no particular order

1. I enjoy learning how others think, what their value systems and priorities are, and how their logic works.
1a. Unfortunately, sometimes what comes out of people's mouths can be quite perplexing and downright idiotic, but I still enjoy learning it as I have to deal with all types of people in the real world, not just those who I enjoy spending time with.
2. Learning about society and trying to find out a political system that would work for a majority of people. Since I have come onto this website I have realized a few things:
2a. There is no perfect political philosophy because people are different and someone will be caused undue suffering no matter the approach. However, I keep having hope that some insight will come at some point to make the first sentence untrue.
2b. Even though every political philosophy I have come across will cause someone undue and unjust suffering, often the proponents of whatever philosophy will demonize this group, whether it be the rich, poor, liberals, etc, and believe that the suffering of this group is just (it frightens me that people can be so evil) and that the unjustly suffering group should just get over it and conform
2c. Probably the best way to have a functional political system is through things like civility and manners, not a better political system. Unfortunately civility and manners is out of fashion right now.
2d. I find it astounding that people can be so enamored with one aspect of society or culture (liberty vs authoritarianism, pure capitalism vs impure capitalism, etc) that they forget bigger and more important themes.
3. I enjoy debating in itself as long as its not hackish or a matter of people trying to one up others without any real desire for productive discussion but communication of hatred and anger.
4. Watching how people react to what I say, whether positive or negative and then finding out why
5. I have come to enjoy interacting with certain folks here of all viewpoints and backgrounds (my e-friends I guess)
6. Probably some other stuff

One thing I do a lot is troll around these forums, most of the time I read an entire topic or at least scroll through it if its huge, because I enjoy reading the comments other people leave or reading their links.