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PaperclipPerfector  6mo ago (text post)   1886 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for October 1, 2023

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

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What would you call the following dilemma and options:

Someone presents an argument, to which another responds with a counter-argument that is tangential or slightly off-target. The OP must decide to either 1) legitimize the counterargument by engaging, and run the risk of entering an unproductive dialogic detour, or 2) attempt to steer the conversation back to the original argument but risk appearing dismissive or uncooperative.

I really hate it when that happens, and it genuinely feels like the most common form of debate--more common than directly addressing the actual arguments. Addressing direct arguments is often accepting your opponent's framing, which might seem like an inherently losing proposition.

I generally try to highlight the dodge, and I think it pretty much always makes me look combative.

Yes I see it here too, so came the thought that coming up with some shorthand names to acknowledge what was happening would appear more toothless.

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