I’ve come to believe that when two reasonably smart people disagree on a subject, at the core, it is often because one of the following:
1. One or both of the participants is missing key information.
2. One or both of the participants made a logic error that leads to a wrong conclusion.
3. The participants agree on the facts, but have different values and priorities leading them to either disagree on what conclusion should come from the facts.
In my mind, a good debate tries to expose missing facts and illogical conclusions so that two in the debate can get to the real crux of the matter, how their biases, experiences, and values shape their beliefs.
https://haacked.com/archive/2013/10/21/argue-well-by-losing....
A pertinent summary:
- - - - -
I’ve come to believe that when two reasonably smart people disagree on a subject, at the core, it is often because one of the following:
1. One or both of the participants is missing key information.
2. One or both of the participants made a logic error that leads to a wrong conclusion.
3. The participants agree on the facts, but have different values and priorities leading them to either disagree on what conclusion should come from the facts.
In my mind, a good debate tries to expose missing facts and illogical conclusions so that two in the debate can get to the real crux of the matter, how their biases, experiences, and values shape their beliefs.
- - - - -