The Three Pitfalls of Arguing Online

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I saw this on the Catholic Answers main page, and thought it was certainly very pertinent to us on the CAF side of things:


I particularly was struck by this paragraph:
The backfire effect succeeds because people want to preserve their identity and fear other people destroying it. Instead of listing evidence that tries to smash someone’s beliefs or identity, you might find it helpful to just ask a question and say you want the person’s opinion on the matter. For example, instead of listing quotes that prove a fetus is a human being, you could just ask a question like, “What is a human being?” or “Why does that difference between born and unborn humans matter?” In the course of responding the person may start to see the inconsistencies in his own viewpoint and then naturally change his mind rather than relent to some anonymous online critic.
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I think it cannot be overstated how critical this point is to having productive online discussions. We would all do well to be sensitive to this. People don’t want to be beaten over the head with our arguments or citations. Even if we truly believe that the other person is wrong, we will not sway them by badgering them. The better approach is to ask them questions and get them thinking through their (perhaps unspoken and unreflective) presuppositions. We’re not likely to compose a single post that is going to change someone’s mind in dramatic fashion. But if we help get them thinking, in time that can lead to change.

Anyway, I thought it was good food for thought.
 
Thanks for posting that article, Joe.

It was a really great read, and something to think about when posting on any forum, I think! 🙂
 
Writing online for me is no different to talking to a person on the phone.

I can’t see the person to read their body language. The only clue I have is the tone of their voice and the words said. Much like the forums, it is difficult to know how a person will take what I have said to heart, be hurt unless they state how they feel.
 
IF i could add to the topic for this specific forum it would be, The Three Pitfalls of Arguing Online With Superblue

1: He isn’t going to Argue with you so don’t expect one
2: Responding to what He says wont change anything so please don’t think it will.
3: Pretending that you think you know superblue is only fooling yourself.

An then needless to say someone would try to one up me with some snarky reply to get some yuks from their peers and a few likes because for some reason " likes " improve ones reputation on here or something, i dunno. doesn’t matter.

Cheers and good luck, fun topic.
 
Don’t you want to argue just a little, @superblue? (Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.) 😉
 
Don’t rock the boat, Joe. You’re just trying to stir up trouble .🌪️

Seriously, thanks for posting this.

P.S. I gave you a like just to make SB smile, so I hope he did.
 
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TheHolyTrinity said:
Writing online for me is no different to talking to a person on the phone.

I can’t see the person to read their body language. The only clue I have is the tone of their voice and the words said. Much like the forums, it is difficult to know how a person will take what I have said to heart, be hurt unless they state how they feel.
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A lot of truth to this post. Certain words or phrases can mean one thing to one person and something else to another. One of the reason I miss the old emojis from the old forum. They gave some dimension to a post. Sadness, anger, remorse, laughter, and incredulity were so much easier to explain with emojis that had some life.
 
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