Persuasion

From metawiki
Revision as of 12:44, 2 February 2024 by Fractalguy (talk | contribs) (Created page with "Is it better to be technically correct? Or is it better to be heard and understood? What is the point of entering into a debate in the first place if it is not to persuade the other person? And if the point is to persuade, why is the majority of modern discourse consist of people talking past each other? Repeating tired old arguments and reflexive responses like two amateur chess players that memorized the same strategy book. It does not seek to understand, connect, i...")
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)

Is it better to be technically correct? Or is it better to be heard and understood?

What is the point of entering into a debate in the first place if it is not to persuade the other person?

And if the point is to persuade, why is the majority of modern discourse consist of people talking past each other? Repeating tired old arguments and reflexive responses like two amateur chess players that memorized the same strategy book. It does not seek to understand, connect, identify, or resonate with the other person, simply to "win" in the eyes of some nonexistent judge, and gain the approval of the already convinced on social media.

The debate of science versus superstition and misinformation is one of the most important debates in human history. It is important that we get do it right.