Ever watch in wonder and awe as people argue and debate online like skilled gladiators of old? Ever wish you could hone your own debate skills to the point where you can hold you own among the pantheon of fervent bloganistas? Whether you take your skills pro, or just want to be among the elite amateurs, Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, has 10 sure-fire methods for winning an internet debate!
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Scott Adams on Internet Debate
michael
aly hawkins 10:55 am on 22 November 2005 Permalink
He forgot my old standby and favorite: Feign moral outrage and certainty that God is on your side. For example, if someone suggests that perhaps the Narnia books might make more sense and have a better flow if they were ordered according to chronology, quote Genesis chapter 1 from the KJV and claim a “word from the LORD” in which He told you His Plan all along was for the series to reflect His original Order of Creation, and the editors at Harper-Collins will writhe in everlasting hellfire for all eternity for distorting the Purposes of the LORD.
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Works every time.
Morphea 11:05 am on 22 November 2005 Permalink
Well spotted, Michael. Do you read this guy every day? The comments are almost more amusing than the original post. The next time we seriously debate anything around here I’m definitely playing the “neener-neener” card.
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One thing I do love about talking with certain types of Christians is the fact that they use the infallibilty of scripture or the deity of Christ or the virgin birth, original sin, etc., etc. as starting points in debate. Therefore, using my favorite, FAVORITE comeback – “Well, I actually disagree with [insert injured party here: the Bible, St. Paul, Aquinas, whatever]” – stops them every time. I mean, what is there to SAY to someone who thinks The Bible might be wrong or at the least misinterpreted? It’s all bollocks, of course, since who am I to disagree with more learned church leaders and theologians, but somehow I manage to anyway. And therefore prooftexting slithers off me like water off a duck’s back.
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[Morphea smugly leans back and laces her fingers behind her head.] There’s no end to my idiocy, but I do love stopping a good debate cold.
Chad 12:44 pm on 22 November 2005 Permalink
Mike, he only made seven points, not 10.
You are a lazy blogger.
And you are homosexual.
Also, you hate the bible.
Larry Edgar 12:58 pm on 22 November 2005 Permalink
Yeah, it seems a lot of folks treat the Bible like it’s some sort of engineering
textbook (complete with answers to the odd-number problems in the back), and they
assume that everyone else will naturally gravitate to that assumption. So then
their tactic in winning discussions seems to be that of finding the most Bible
verses to support their side.
Morphea 2:38 pm on 22 November 2005 Permalink
[Morphea snorts her latte]
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Larry, where’d you get that sense of humor?
Larry Edgar 5:28 pm on 22 November 2005 Permalink
Oh, I don’t know. Probably not from my profession or my workplace (computer scientist/
engineer in aerospace).
Morphea 6:03 pm on 22 November 2005 Permalink
Uh, whoa. Well, at least we know you’re dam’ clever, though that was evident 5 posts ago, if I may say.