Principle of charity

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The principle of charity is the maxim that in debate, one should take the strongest possible understanding of the opponent's position. It is a warning against the straw man argument. If an opponent presents the case using a metaphor, it should not be taken literally. One particular danger is with treating a deliberate use of oxymoron. It can require, but obviously needs care, of correcting what is an obvious spelling error, use of a word in an unconventional way (if one's opponent says "literally" when you would have said "figuratively"), or other lapses. "Spelling flames" are violations of the principle of charity.

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