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The Decline of Debate: a Path to Ignorance
When Defending Beliefs Becomes More Important than Truth
Debate is dying in a World increasingly divided between political, social and cultural fences. Even the debaters in our Government institutions have lost the ability and credibility to support any notion of integrity.
Taking debate seriously has been a feature of free societies since ancient times. It was seen as an extension of free thought, critical judgement and a commitment to the truth.
How is it then that today more and more people are showing less and less interest, if not hostility, when it comes to having a proper debate?
We can jump to the answer with this disturbing finding:
Those who reject debate usually do so because they prefer to keep their beliefs in check without having them critically questioned or severely tested by evidence to the contrary.
The Erosion of Debating Skills
Debating is not just about proving your point, it’s also about presenting a logical argument for your position, engaging with opposing ideas and finding common ground or reaching agreement when those ideas don’t add up.
