Author Topic: What's the difference between discussion and debate?  (Read 33259 times)

Offline bobtheskull

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Re: What's the difference between discussion and debate?
« Reply #60 on: February 12, 2007, 04:23:26 AM »
I'm gonna hold off on actually implementing anything for this for the time being, I think.  That's the official word for the moment. :)

Just as long as I'm permitted to whack people in the head with a giant debate stick* when I feel they have crossed my imaginary lines, whether or not there are any, while screaming "DEBATER!  DEBATER!" and making that face Donald Sutherland makes at the end of The Bodysnatchers, I'm happy. 


*not to be confused with the LART, which is patented and primarily for use only on help-desk abusers.

Offline DragonFire

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Re: What's the difference between discussion and debate?
« Reply #61 on: February 12, 2007, 04:51:32 AM »
I'm gonna hold off on actually implementing anything for this for the time being, I think.  That's the official word for the moment. :)

Just as long as I'm permitted to whack people in the head with a giant debate stick* when I feel they have crossed my imaginary lines, whether or not there are any, while screaming "DEBATER!  DEBATER!" and making that face Donald Sutherland makes at the end of The Bodysnatchers, I'm happy. 


*not to be confused with the LART, which is patented and primarily for use only on help-desk abusers.
I'm confused. Is this a joke?
God is dead - Nietzsche
Nietzsche is dead -God

He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.
-Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 14

Offline bobtheskull

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Re: What's the difference between discussion and debate?
« Reply #62 on: February 12, 2007, 09:41:03 PM »
I'm gonna hold off on actually implementing anything for this for the time being, I think.  That's the official word for the moment. :)

Just as long as I'm permitted to whack people in the head with a giant debate stick* when I feel they have crossed my imaginary lines, whether or not there are any, while screaming "DEBATER!  DEBATER!" and making that face Donald Sutherland makes at the end of The Bodysnatchers, I'm happy. 


*not to be confused with the LART, which is patented and primarily for use only on help-desk abusers.
I'm confused. Is this a joke?


DEBATER!  DEBATER!  *thwack*



Offline jtaylor

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Re: What's the difference between discussion and debate?
« Reply #63 on: February 12, 2007, 09:50:49 PM »
It seems as if there are a lot of master debaters on this board...  ;)
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Offline DragonFire

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Re: What's the difference between discussion and debate?
« Reply #64 on: February 12, 2007, 09:55:28 PM »
I'm gonna hold off on actually implementing anything for this for the time being, I think.  That's the official word for the moment. :)

Just as long as I'm permitted to whack people in the head with a giant debate stick* when I feel they have crossed my imaginary lines, whether or not there are any, while screaming "DEBATER!  DEBATER!" and making that face Donald Sutherland makes at the end of The Bodysnatchers, I'm happy. 


*not to be confused with the LART, which is patented and primarily for use only on help-desk abusers.
I'm confused. Is this a joke?


DEBATER!  DEBATER!  *thwack*



*gets out the idiot stick*

*thwack thwack*
God is dead - Nietzsche
Nietzsche is dead -God

He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.
-Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 14

Offline loulou

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Re: What's the difference between discussion and debate?
« Reply #65 on: February 12, 2007, 10:08:37 PM »
It seems as if there are a lot of master debaters on this board...  ;)

LOL ;D
"Infamy, infamy, they've all got it in for me!"

Offline fairyfreak

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Re: What's the difference between discussion and debate?
« Reply #66 on: February 12, 2007, 10:17:28 PM »
It seems as if there are a lot of master debaters on this board...  ;)

 ;D LOL...that's the funniest thing I've read all day...Have a cookie! 

Offline Paige

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Re: What's the difference between discussion and debate?
« Reply #67 on: February 12, 2007, 10:32:01 PM »
It seems as if there are a lot of master debaters on this board...  ;)

*giggle*  :D

Offline Dread Pirate Sayessa

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Re: What's the difference between discussion and debate?
« Reply #68 on: February 25, 2007, 02:27:55 PM »
I know, I know, this thread has been dead for several days, nay, weeks.
But I felt I needed to say some stuff.
Basically, most of this is stuff I've learned through classes and during my life.  Maybe it will help stop the angry postings.

'I' vs. 'You' language; (aka Inflammatory/Accusatory language)
Sometimes people use accusatory language without meaning to.  The psychology class I took referred to it as "I" and "you" language.  The statement "You are wrong" is accusatory, and will put the person hearing/reading it on the defensive immediately.  However, saying "I think you're misunderstanding what I'm saying" is nonconfrontational and nonaccusatory.  It takes equal blame for the situation, not blaming the other person.  No offense, but bobtheskull I think you may be particularly susceptible to this kind of language, as Iago has stated.  And Lightsabre does use a lot of what could be construed as accusatory language, although I'm sure that's not what is meant.  My hubby can be quite susceptible to accusatory language, often thinking a perfectly harmless statement is meant as a personal attack.  We're working on that.   ;)

Concede mistakes
This is a personal problem of mine.  When you're proven wrong, stop and say "oh, I was wrong.  Thank you for pointing out my error."  Lightsabre did this very well a couple of times in the thread that spawned this thread.  However, many people don't, and most don't do it enough.  The reason this is a personal thing for me is because I was on the "Lazy writers/FBI" thread, and I proved that an unequivocal statement made by a poster was 100% wrong, and even looked up the FBI website and cited it as my source.  I spent a good twenty minutes or more to make my point.  Did the angry poster acknowledge my post?  Admit they were wrong?  No, they just attacked the next person's post that didn't have a source cited.  That's when I realized that this person is not here to be convinced, this person is here because they wish to moan, groan and complain.  I was going to post a little joke about an episode of Monk that I saw, where the FBI had technology ooozing out their pores and had a god-complex like no other, but figured it would be a waste.  The fact that the FBI in both Monk and Hair of the Dog were devices used by the writers to illustrate corrupt law (hair of the dog) or advancing technology (Monk) meant nothing to this person.

Sheesh, now I'm all off topic!  Sorry!   :P

The biggest difference, to me, between discussion and debate is a debate is timed and structured.  I know a guy who won scholarships because of his excellent debate skills, and I think he's so good at it because he doesn't take it personally!  No matter what is flung at him, he doesn't get angry with the person on the other end.  I don't know how he does it!   ;)  But most of us are not immune when we think our views and our beliefs are under attack, and we react with emotion.  And that's when we lose, and while there really isn't a winner in such an instance, the other person is not affected at all.
Take a step back, as Iago said, is a great idea.  Make sure the person means what you think they mean, and maybe we won't be subjected to such long, angry postings!

Have a wonderful day.
 ;D

PS yes, my friend is a master debater!  Nyah!   8)

PPS Bobtheskull, what the heck is a LART?!? ???
I ATE'NT DEAD

I still think 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit is "wintertime"
Thanks, SoCal.

Offline bugdog

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Re: What's the difference between discussion and debate?
« Reply #69 on: February 25, 2007, 03:37:28 PM »
PPS Bobtheskull, what the heck is a LART?!? ???

I'm going to break the unwritten help desk code and answer that. A LART is a Luser Attitude Readjustment Tool. Luser as in user with an L in front of it.

I have a LART of my own that also serves as a Cluebat - it beats clues into those who have none.


And just to prove it's mine, here's the back of it...


Offline Dread Pirate Sayessa

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Re: What's the difference between discussion and debate?
« Reply #70 on: February 25, 2007, 04:21:56 PM »
LOL!  That's great, thanks!
I ATE'NT DEAD

I still think 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit is "wintertime"
Thanks, SoCal.

Offline Kaos Wizard

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Re: What's the difference between discussion and debate?
« Reply #71 on: February 26, 2007, 02:43:27 AM »
I'll preface my post by saying that I haven't read through the entirety of this thread. My attention span started to wander.

I'd like to point out that discussion and debate often go hand in hand for me. I can start out by refuting an idea, but sometimes the debate can bring me over to the other side at which point it becomes and discussion, and the process can go both ways. Especially when debating issues about the book sometimes there is no "right" answer, but the airing of several different points of view or ideas can bring a better understanding to the source material. If a discussion is becoming a debate and one person dosn't want to participate they don't have to. If someone gets sucked into debating an issue, it's really their own fault, no one is forcing them to argue the point. Of course I have a group of friends that is extremely argumentative and often will argue just for the sake of arguing a point.

Offline ButMadNNW

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Re: What's the difference between discussion and debate?
« Reply #72 on: March 29, 2007, 07:36:40 PM »
I know this thread's been dead a while, but I just wanted to say that I think there are too many people online (I'm saying In General, not on this board) who equate "Debate" with "Argument".

IMO:
- Discussion is sharing ideas (opinions) with no agenda, no hurt feelings, and no necessity for Proof.
- Debate is sharing ideas with the intention of "winning". Done correctly, this involves supporting one's statements with cited links, quotes, or other helpful backup/Proof. And it is civilized, no hurt feelings. The participants can agree to disagree, but the goal of Debate is "usually" to convince people that one's opinion is valid, based on fact, etc.
- Argument is what happens when we get into "I'm right, and you're an idiot." Which results in hurt feelings. And it doesn't usually involve one properly backing up one's statements.

Just my spare change.
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Offline Blaze

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Re: What's the difference between discussion and debate?
« Reply #73 on: March 29, 2007, 08:00:26 PM »
In a debate, you do not need to believe in what you are saying, you simply take a point of view and do your darnedest to bring everyone over to the side/opinion you have chosen to promulgate.

In a discussion, you voice your opinions, and you listen to the opinions of others.  There does not need to be defense or attack in discussion as there is in a debate.

In a debate, one does not have to honor or respect the opposing position, or the proponent of that postion/opinion.

In discussion, everyone must be considered equal, and the validation of ideas is not so stringient.  There is no proof required in discussion, "that's my opinion" is sufficient justification for saying something.

You can, on a debate board set out rules:

All facts must be documented.
No obscene language.
The opinions stated do not have to be your actual opinions.
You may not say anything personal about the others engaged in the debate.
The debate must stay on topic. 

In a discussion, people can stray.  Discussions are organic.  They evolve.  In a discussion it is impolite to make personal comments, but there is no preclusion to the odd:  "Boy you're dumb."

How can you enforce a debate?  Simple, the moderator allows for three warnings of infraction of whatever rules are set out, and on the third infraction the person in violation is erased.  I can think of no more humiliating a fate on a discussion board than to have your name up there with a big blank space, or where the moderator wrote:  Violator. 

(Of course if the person redresses error and infractions they would get set back to zero.)

Debates could even have points or allow other users to vote on who wins.

In a Conversation, usually everyone wins.  We all have a nice time, a few laughs and go away satisfied.

Anyway, that is my opinion.  Thank you for asking.
Chi pò, non vò; chi vò, non pò; chi sà, non fà; chi fà, non sà; e così, male il mondo va.