Thanks to @Michael for the help with this thread.
Debate 101
A debate is an academic contest of argumentation between two individuals and/or teams. Debating is an essential tool for the maintaining simplified development and democracy against open groups and societies. More than a verbal or a conduct asset, debating exemplifies the ethics of reasonable disagreement, resilience for contradictory points of view and meticulous self-review. Debating is, above all, a way for those who hold antagonistic views to deliberate controversial affairs without lowering to an insult, verbal abuse, emotional plea, or particular intolerance. A primary impression of debating is that it infrequently ends in compliance from both parties.
Evidence
This may seem like common sense to most members, but there are an extremely high amount of threads and replies without evidence. You must supply proof for any claim that you make. Otherwise, your claim can be dismissed altogether. Proof and/or evidence is the most important part of any argument. Without it, your argument holds no ground.
You must cite your sources whenever you provide evidence or a quote. Remember to use credible sources to find your evidence. Citing credible sources will make your argument much more professional and trustworthy.
Let's get into an example.
For this case, someone is trying to argue about evolution. They state to me that evolution is the foundation of an immoral worldview. I reply with the following.
Note how I included my source. This gives my opponent a direct way to view what I am looking at, and also see where I'm getting my evidence from.
Proofreading
Always, always, always proofread for errors, fallacies, illogic, missing sources, etc. A short read-through of your thread and/or reply will save you time and effort when having to respond to claims about your thread. Make sure all of your sources are listed and that you aren't using fallacious arguments when debating. These errors can be easily spotted by your opponent and will be quickly turned against you.
Length
A good thread will be quite lengthy and full of information. Rather than simply making a claim, be more articulate. Include some background on the topic, introduce the premises, state your argument, and include evidence and information that help to support you argument. It is always harder for your opponent to refute an argument when you have included lots of support details and evidence.
Do not put random filler into your thread to make it look good. Make sure that the thread is full of useful information, rather than filler.
Logical Fallacies
What is a fallacy? A fallacy is incoherent, incorrect, or unsound logic used in an attempt to win a debate. These fallacies, there is quite a long list of them, render your argument as invalid. You must avoid this type of argument at all costs.
Listed below are a few of the most common fallacies. To view an entire list, click here or here.
Ad Hominem
This fallacy involves an evasion from the actual topic whilst attacking your opponent directly. To be successful in a debate, you must attack your opponent's argument, and not your opponent themselves. Let's take a look at an example.
For this case, a gay man is debating his opponent on evolution. He presents evidence for his case. The opponent's rebuttal includes...
As you can see, there is no real argument behind this fallacy, rather an evasion of the argument altogether.
Slippery Slope
This argument evades the actual argument at hand it shifts the argument to hypotheticals. It would sound something like this. "You said that if we allow A to happen, then B will eventually happen too, therefore A should not happen." No proof is provided that this will actually be the case. It is an argument that appeals to emotion, it mongers fear. Here's an example.
It's quite obvious as to why this shouldn't be accepted as logic.
Personal Incredulity
This is literally an argument from personal incredulity. Basically, someone argues that because they don't understand something or how something works, it is more than likely not true. For a debate, you obviously must be informed on the subject in order to argue your position. This argument stems from the lack of knowledge on a subject.
Burden of Proof
The burden of proof always lies with the person making a claim. Whether or not they can prove it does not matter. If you make a claim, you must support it with proof. This fallacy occurs when someone makes a claim and asks someone else to disprove it, without providing any evidence.
This fallacy is quite often used ironically to point out illogic in certain arguments.
Recap
This is a recap of all the points covered in today's thread.
Debate 101
A debate is an academic contest of argumentation between two individuals and/or teams. Debating is an essential tool for the maintaining simplified development and democracy against open groups and societies. More than a verbal or a conduct asset, debating exemplifies the ethics of reasonable disagreement, resilience for contradictory points of view and meticulous self-review. Debating is, above all, a way for those who hold antagonistic views to deliberate controversial affairs without lowering to an insult, verbal abuse, emotional plea, or particular intolerance. A primary impression of debating is that it infrequently ends in compliance from both parties.
Evidence
This may seem like common sense to most members, but there are an extremely high amount of threads and replies without evidence. You must supply proof for any claim that you make. Otherwise, your claim can be dismissed altogether. Proof and/or evidence is the most important part of any argument. Without it, your argument holds no ground.
You must cite your sources whenever you provide evidence or a quote. Remember to use credible sources to find your evidence. Citing credible sources will make your argument much more professional and trustworthy.
Let's get into an example.
For this case, someone is trying to argue about evolution. They state to me that evolution is the foundation of an immoral worldview. I reply with the following.
Note how I included my source. This gives my opponent a direct way to view what I am looking at, and also see where I'm getting my evidence from.
Proofreading
Always, always, always proofread for errors, fallacies, illogic, missing sources, etc. A short read-through of your thread and/or reply will save you time and effort when having to respond to claims about your thread. Make sure all of your sources are listed and that you aren't using fallacious arguments when debating. These errors can be easily spotted by your opponent and will be quickly turned against you.
Length
A good thread will be quite lengthy and full of information. Rather than simply making a claim, be more articulate. Include some background on the topic, introduce the premises, state your argument, and include evidence and information that help to support you argument. It is always harder for your opponent to refute an argument when you have included lots of support details and evidence.
Do not put random filler into your thread to make it look good. Make sure that the thread is full of useful information, rather than filler.
Logical Fallacies
What is a fallacy? A fallacy is incoherent, incorrect, or unsound logic used in an attempt to win a debate. These fallacies, there is quite a long list of them, render your argument as invalid. You must avoid this type of argument at all costs.
Listed below are a few of the most common fallacies. To view an entire list, click here or here.
Ad Hominem
This fallacy involves an evasion from the actual topic whilst attacking your opponent directly. To be successful in a debate, you must attack your opponent's argument, and not your opponent themselves. Let's take a look at an example.
For this case, a gay man is debating his opponent on evolution. He presents evidence for his case. The opponent's rebuttal includes...
As you can see, there is no real argument behind this fallacy, rather an evasion of the argument altogether.
Slippery Slope
This argument evades the actual argument at hand it shifts the argument to hypotheticals. It would sound something like this. "You said that if we allow A to happen, then B will eventually happen too, therefore A should not happen." No proof is provided that this will actually be the case. It is an argument that appeals to emotion, it mongers fear. Here's an example.
It's quite obvious as to why this shouldn't be accepted as logic.
Personal Incredulity
This is literally an argument from personal incredulity. Basically, someone argues that because they don't understand something or how something works, it is more than likely not true. For a debate, you obviously must be informed on the subject in order to argue your position. This argument stems from the lack of knowledge on a subject.
Burden of Proof
The burden of proof always lies with the person making a claim. Whether or not they can prove it does not matter. If you make a claim, you must support it with proof. This fallacy occurs when someone makes a claim and asks someone else to disprove it, without providing any evidence.
This fallacy is quite often used ironically to point out illogic in certain arguments.
Recap
This is a recap of all the points covered in today's thread.
- Make your thread lengthy and informational
- Always include sources
- Point out fallacies in your opponent's argument
- Always retain quality, even if you're reposinding to a low quality argument
- Always proofread
