2017-08-13-0257Z


I don't mind debating flat earthers. it's intellectually stimulating, having to actually prove things mathematically that I always just assumed previously. but I wish both sides would make it easier.

if your goal is to win the mind of your opponent by showing him the fallacies of his own model, frame your argument in the terms of that model, not your own. and if your opponent misrepresents your model, show him how, don't just call him names.

if you post a video or a photo that you think proves your viewpoint, research it first and spare your opponent the need to locate the GPS coordinates, names, and heights of the features involved. this means both the spot from where the photo or video was taken, including height above sea level to the actual camera lens, and the claimed base and peak heights of at least one of the distant features in your example. if it's a long-winded, repetitive video, as many tend to be, tell your opponent the place or places to which to skip ahead to the "meat". if your opponent has used kilometers and meters, don't reply in miles and feet, defer to his system.

if he comes back with something like wave height, and you hadn't taken that into account before, no need to panic. just tell him "good point", go back and study, and come back to the discussion when you have an answer. maybe your model isn't perfect after all. open-minded discussion can't hurt, and it sure beats ad-hominems and other fallacious substitutes for genuine debate.

I'm guilty of some of the things I mentioned above. I'll own that. but I'm getting better.

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