The debate section has flourished ever since it's introduction. I know that many people have had wonderful times battling their opponents over issues. While some fights have occurred, the debate section has made a great addition to the portal. However, the majority of people here debate like they just got hit by a rock. I'm here to try and fix that. So let's begin.
Clarity:
When debating, your opponent is always against you. They will constantly be searching for loopholes in what you have posted. This is why you must be clear with the words you have chosen to use in your posts. It's important to use words that can't be easily misinterpreted. For example, If I say "Evolution makes less sense than the Bible." you most likely know that I am supporting the Bible and that I believe that evolution is an illogical theory. However, you could interpret it differently. You could think that I believe the Bible makes little sense and that evolution makes even less sense. In this instance, you may think I don't believe in either theories, which is easily possible. A better way to get the original idea across would be to say something like this: "The Bible makes sense, evolution doesn't make much sense at all." I get the same idea across in a much more clear way. Be precise when debating. This little section also includes sarcasm. In short, don't use sarcasm. Saying something like "I don't mind killing babies so I think abortion is fine." is a big no no. There is nothing worse than having someone get angry at you because he/she mistook your comment. Never use sarcasm in a debate. Ever. It is a one-way ticket to making yourself look bad.
Emotion:
Debates can, at times, become incredibly emotional. Debaters can often become so passionate towards their viewpoint that any insults directed at their viewpoint they take personally. This passion can lead to flame wars. Big time. Pages and pages of flaming. This is why you must be careful in a debate. Never direct any sort of insult towards your opponent. Ever. It is pretty obvious that you shouldn't say "You're a Liberal and so you are an idiot." But something people tend to do too often is indirectly insult their opponents by saying "Liberals are stupid." If the opponent is a liberal, they may take this insult personally. Comments like these can only lead to flame wars and in no way help a debate. Also, try and avoid religious, ethnic, racial, etc hate words. Emotion is OK in a debate, but insults aren't.
Evidence:
Evidence is, by far, the most important part in a debate. If you have no evidence to backup your viewpoint then you have no argument. However, there is a large misunderstanding as to what is evidence and what isn't. Too often do I see "Most scientists agree that the Earth is 4.5 billion years old." This is not evidence. It is the exact same thing as saying "The Bible says the Earth is 6,000 years old" Quoting authority is not evidence. What is the evidence that convinced the scientists to agree that the Earth is 4.5 billion years old? This is what needs to be focused on. Here is how it should sound: "According to the temperature of the Earth and our understanding of biology, as well other evidence, most scientists agree that the world is 4.5 billion years old." That is evidence.
Context:
Context is incredibly important in a debate. Let's refresh everyone's memory as to what context is. Context is what precedes or follows a word or passage that changes it's meaning. When someone has taken something out of context it means they have affected a passage's meaning. For example here is a quote form the Bible: "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good." This can be taken out of context to say: "There is no God" You can see how just by taking out a few words the entire meaning of the sentence was changed. This is why it is so important to make sure that, when quoting material, you must keep it in context. There are other ways to take things out of context too. For example, if I say "I'm cold." that seems hard to take out of context. But you could say "Compared to Antarctica you are not cold." However, you have taken what I said out of context. Remember, to take something out of context means to change its meaning. The statement "I am cold." and "I am cold compared to Antarctica." are completely different. Keep quoted material in context when debating.
Sources:
When in a formal debate sourcing is incredibly important. Here, where the debate is less formal, it is less important. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't source your information. Some information is probably unimportant and doesn't need to be sourced. For example, if I say "Humans didn't evolve from apes we evolved from a common ancestor" that probably doesn't need to be sourced because it is general knowledge. However, if you were in a debate and said "Gun control would reduce violence" then that needs to be sourced because it raises so many questions. Where is this evidence coming from? Was it some kind of survey? Can this information be accurate? That evidence may not even be true for all the rest of the debaters know. This is why it is important to source information.
Examples:
I see this all the time. People will say things that they can't back up. A quick an easy way to back up what you say is to give examples. I'll make an example right now. For example, if someone says "Evolution is just evidence that has been warped to fit a specific viewpoint" then they have done a bad job. Give an example of evidence that has been warped to fit a viewpoint. Without examples, you have nothing to back up what you've said.
I've tried to say everything I know about being a good debater. There is more to add here for sure, but this is all I'm doing for now. Overall though, if there is one thing you need to know to be a good debater, it is this: BE ABLE TO ADMIT WHEN YOU ARE WRONG AND BE OPEN TO LEARNING NEW THINGS. Remember, your idea isn't always right. Good luck out there and I hope this can help some people.
