Debate:Is Debate Good

Proposition
Today I have a case of betteridge's law to present. No. Debate is not good. That's not to say it can't be, when the boundaries of genuine open-mindedness, intellectual honesty, and curiosity are strictly adhered to. One person speaking to another without an audience to befuddle or dupe as a primary goal, answering the questions raised as honestly as they can, and dwelling on the implications of when they can't.

But today, I'm speaking of public debate. Or as we have here, open debate.
 * others have raised serious concerns about how the concept of debate is abused by charlatans in our modern times
 * we ourselves document ways that dishonest debaters can mislead and abuse the platform
 * Presidential debates, which should nominally be among the most professional debates in the world, are known for petty quibbling, baseless proclamations, empty pandering, and facile insults, and that's before they involved Donald Trump.

The merits that exist to debate cannot hold when honesty isn't anywhere on the table. And these days it's not even in the same building as the table. ikanreed 🐐Bleat at me 17:30, 29 November 2018 (UTC)

Counter-proposition
Trump is awesome and anyone that says otherwise is a pinko shill of the fake news media.

The Earth is 5000 years old, scientific dating is fake and does not show the real facts.

Conservapedia is the most truthful Wiki on the internet, RationalWiki is full of morons.

There is no such thing as a dishonest debater, only biased reporting from the fake news.

Breitbart is the most reliable and well regarded American news website on today, proven.


 * Debate on these true and indisputable facts is totally worthwhile. — Your Favorite Troll (talk) 17:49, 29 November 2018 (UTC)