Debate Forum Guidelines
Posted: 2008.09.27 (15:25)
Debate Forum Guidelines
1. All forum rules apply here. This should be mind-numbingly obvious, but I’m reiterating this for the sake of clarity.
2. There is a difference between trolling and trying to start an intelligent debate. I’m all for the latter, but the former will get you into trouble. When a person trolls (as defined by Kablizzy in the forum rules), they are trying to provoke a negative emotional response. When a person tries to get a debate going, their intent is to produce a neutral, logical response. There is a discernible difference between the two, and as a quasi-intelligent forum member, you should be able to recognize it.
3. Similarly, debaters should address the argument presented, and not the person who is the source of the argument. Saying “you’re an idiot” does nothing to show how that person is incorrect in his reasoning process. Personal attacks are useless and unnecessary, not to mention dickish.
4. Develop an idea fully, and then stop there. If you post an incomplete thought, it will confuse everyone, and you won’t be proving your point to anyone. On the other hand, if you make a towerpost for no reason, and with very little actual content, you’re also defeating the purpose of posting here.
5. Debates tend to follow a natural progression away from the original topic. If this happens, it usually means that the original topic of debate was either fully discussed, or the new topic is more interesting. As long as the topic of debate flows nicely, this is not something to worry about. Now, if the first post of a topic is about deforestation in Brazil, and the second is about proposed solutions to the problem of induction, then we have a problem. But don’t complain about a thread fluidly going off-topic; this is what threads do.
6. When debating whether or not to legalize something that is currently illegal, speak in general terms. If assault weapons are illegal (I can’t remember their current status), do not talk about your rack of AK-47s in your closet. This is an admission of law-breaking, and is against forum rules. Instead, write about AK-47s in general. The idea of an assault weapon is not an illegal thing, in and of itself. Do not encourage illegal activities, even if you support legalization.
7. Make sure your arguments are well-formed. This doesn’t mean that I have to agree with your arguments or your reasoning process, but it does mean that you have to try to make sense. If you say “The Western concept of God is illogical, because… GRAPEFRUIT,” You will be asked to put more effort into your posts.
8. Humor is allowed here. This includes sarcasm, satire, and general silliness – just so long as it doesn’t all get out of hand. Humor should be a refreshing break from the stuffiness that can sometimes happen in debates; it should not become the norm for debating.
Y’all are a generally well-behaved community. I shouldn’t have to intervene too much. Just think before you post, and we shouldn’t have any problems.
1. All forum rules apply here. This should be mind-numbingly obvious, but I’m reiterating this for the sake of clarity.
2. There is a difference between trolling and trying to start an intelligent debate. I’m all for the latter, but the former will get you into trouble. When a person trolls (as defined by Kablizzy in the forum rules), they are trying to provoke a negative emotional response. When a person tries to get a debate going, their intent is to produce a neutral, logical response. There is a discernible difference between the two, and as a quasi-intelligent forum member, you should be able to recognize it.
3. Similarly, debaters should address the argument presented, and not the person who is the source of the argument. Saying “you’re an idiot” does nothing to show how that person is incorrect in his reasoning process. Personal attacks are useless and unnecessary, not to mention dickish.
4. Develop an idea fully, and then stop there. If you post an incomplete thought, it will confuse everyone, and you won’t be proving your point to anyone. On the other hand, if you make a towerpost for no reason, and with very little actual content, you’re also defeating the purpose of posting here.
5. Debates tend to follow a natural progression away from the original topic. If this happens, it usually means that the original topic of debate was either fully discussed, or the new topic is more interesting. As long as the topic of debate flows nicely, this is not something to worry about. Now, if the first post of a topic is about deforestation in Brazil, and the second is about proposed solutions to the problem of induction, then we have a problem. But don’t complain about a thread fluidly going off-topic; this is what threads do.
6. When debating whether or not to legalize something that is currently illegal, speak in general terms. If assault weapons are illegal (I can’t remember their current status), do not talk about your rack of AK-47s in your closet. This is an admission of law-breaking, and is against forum rules. Instead, write about AK-47s in general. The idea of an assault weapon is not an illegal thing, in and of itself. Do not encourage illegal activities, even if you support legalization.
7. Make sure your arguments are well-formed. This doesn’t mean that I have to agree with your arguments or your reasoning process, but it does mean that you have to try to make sense. If you say “The Western concept of God is illogical, because… GRAPEFRUIT,” You will be asked to put more effort into your posts.
8. Humor is allowed here. This includes sarcasm, satire, and general silliness – just so long as it doesn’t all get out of hand. Humor should be a refreshing break from the stuffiness that can sometimes happen in debates; it should not become the norm for debating.
Y’all are a generally well-behaved community. I shouldn’t have to intervene too much. Just think before you post, and we shouldn’t have any problems.
