A lot of people here don’t know how to debate well, at least on the internet, so I thought I might make a tutorial about basic behavior in debating.

I’ve divided it into four basic sections: Forming an opinion, stating that opinion, replying to a response to that opinion, and responding to another’s opinion.

As I dive in, remember this is my first tutorial and I’m not that great at it, but bear with me.

[SIZE="3"]FORMING AN OPINION:[/SIZE]
Forming an opinion is usually the hardest part of the process. This involves the most thinking of them all, and defines how you will do the rest. Usually, there are two kinds of debates to form opinions on, philosophical and factual. A philosophical debate involves an abstract concept such as hope, love, the future, a concept that anyone can relate to. A factual debate involves a certain event, a certain principle, a certain concrete something, something that only certain people could really understand.

Examples for a philosophical debate: Do you believe in love? Is there such thing as happiness? Is the future set? What would you rather have, X or Y?

How to form and opinion: Just go with what your heart says, even though that sounds really cliché. These questions are rather deep, try to remember that most questions of this kind involve some deep thinking, so don’t engage if you don’t want to think so.

Examples for a factual question: Do you think global warming is real? Do you think the world will end soon? Is the Bible/Koran/whatever trustworthy? Do you think Newton’s laws are factual?

How to form an opinion: Remember, you are never obligated to debate something. No one ever loses respect for someone when they don’t post. No one ever says, “Oh, hey, Member X didn’t post, what a loser.” However, if you do post in a topic you don’t fully understand just because you feel obligated too, you’re risking a total respect drop. Also, when in a factual debate, do a little research or at least know a little bit about it, and know where to find more info if you can.

First rule of all debates: Only debate if you truly understand the topic. If you aren’t sure you really do, then err on the side of caution and don’t post. When you enter a debate, you obligate yourself to continue debating. It really pisses people off when you drive-by post and never come back. Try to respond to any rebuttals and act civil. We’ll get into that later.

[SIZE="3"]STATING AN OPINION:[/SIZE]
As always, try to spell well, use correct grammar, use punctuation, etc. But besides all that, here are some things specific to the debate section.

Use paragraphs, even if it’s just a space to separate a big block of text. No DOYS rants, okay?

Try to not be inflammatory. Don’t say, “I THINK GOD SUCKS HE DOESN’T EXIST.” Instead, try a simple, “I don’t really see any need to believe in God, and I personally don’t really see enough evidence to suggest he really exists.” That makes all the difference. When talking about restitution money, don’t say, “THEY’RE JUST LAZY BLACKS WHO USE SLAVERY TO GET THEM MONEY,” say, “I can see where they’re coming from, but I don’t think it’s very fair.” I’m not saying that you should dull or soften your message, but saying something it in a calmer, more understanding tone makes more people listen and more agree, mostly. This doesn’t apply always, but it’s a nice tip to remember.

Finally, remember to always read at least the most recent page to see what views are stated. If someone just said exactly what you want to say, posting a mirror image of their post won’t help much. If you do, make sure to also include at least some reference to the previous poster. Usually, people are more forgiving about broken rules if you acknowledge the fact that you broke them before-hand.


[SIZE="3"]REPLYING TO A RESPONSE TO YOUR OPINION:[/SIZE]
Not much to say here, just try to be civil, don’t flame, don’t whine, and don’t be stupid. Try to keep the debate in focus, remind yourself that it isn’t a personal attack, just a rebuttal. Don’t fear a compromise, if they raise a good point, there’s no reason you shouldn’t go with it. An internet debate isn’t a hill to die on, let things go. Nothing is more annoying that someone who knows they’re wrong but still argues anyway.

[SIZE="3"]REPLYING TO ANOTHER PERSON’S OPINION:[/SIZE]
Another simple point, just be civil, don’t flame, don’t whine, don’t act stupid. As I said before, try to not be inflammatory. Don’t say that they are stupid (unless they really are), don’t say they are totally wrong, just respond. When someone does get something factually wrong, don’t bitch. Don’t say, “OMG YOU’RE WRONG DUMBASS,” say instead, “No, X was built in Y (or whatever).” Just kindly correct them. Try to keep it relatively impersonal, try to just respond to what they say, don’t bring in someone’s mother or bring up some beef you have with them that doesn’t relate to the disagreement.

If you are too much of a lazy f[SIZE="2"]u[/SIZE]ck to read it all, here are the condensed points:

1.Don't debate something unless you really understand it well.

2.If you make a post, make sure to stick around, don't just drive-by post.

3.Try to be civil, don't flame.

4.Try to phrase things nicely, don't be overly inflammatory.

5.Don't take a correction or rebuttal personally, it's just an internet debate.

Well, that’s about it, fell free to tell me some things I should add if there are any.

Nice job.

The only things I would consider adding are: How to arrange your information effectively, and deciding what info to use.


Nice effort though.

Very nice indeed. This needs a little rearangement, maybe some underlining, indentation, and more spacing, but other than that, I believe this deserves a sticky. Good job, Hydrogen.

My only rule for debating is:

win.

Quote from pagan

My only rule for debating is:

win.

<3

HEART

Awesome. Hydrogen for president.

the key point to a debate is making the other side agree with you, otherwise you'll never get to a conclusion, which is why religious debates always end in bollocks.

but below the belt debating works very IRL, in the internet it messes things up.

I love you Hydro, bear my children.

Quote from Fr0zEnPh0eNiX

I love you Hydro, bear my children.

I already have.

Oh, and mine. They might be stillborn, though, if you know what I mean.

I mean they might be zeds. You know why.