The Art of the Debate (Part 1)

           I am just starting here on minds.  Rather than jumping right into politics, which is where I am going to head with this blog, I am going to start with basic debate principles. These principles are fundamental for a critical mind. 

          You might ask why knowing how to debate is so important...  If you didn't ask this then I am sorry for putting words in your mouth. As to answering the question you may or may not have asked, I have three main reasons why this is important:

          1. Confronting opposing views helps to sharpen and refine your own positions. Like all skills, your debate skills will sharpen with use but you will also (hopefully) learn to use your weapons more effectively. In the case of a debate, ideas are your weapons, and words the battlefield on which you fight. Refining your ideas equates to taking care of your weapons and so is vitally important.

           2. Confronting opposing views helps to sharpen your opponent as well. Why would you want this? The answer to this is fairly simple though two fold. You gain the most in any endeavor from competing with someone is who is just slightly more skilled than you are. The second reason for wanting to improve your opponent is because a good match is always more fun to watch than a blow out. This increases audience engagement which increases your odds of winning over your audience. Which brings us to the third and ultimate goal of a debate.

           3. Being able to concisely and intelligently present your case is the best way to win over the undecided. The undecided are almost never the people you are debating. Sometimes you will get to debate that rare person who can admit they are wrong and sway them. This is great and fun to do, but most debates are not this way. The goal of a debate is to convince your audience.

          If you are with me still, I thank you for your patience with my somewhat long-winded diatribe. Please join me for my next Blog in the series.