In heated debates, people tend to temper their arguments with more confidence than they warrant, leading to a breakdown of communication and conflict resolution when it is detected. Most of us puff up our chests to some extent, but why, if its so counter-productive? I think its because we feel that our opponent will (1) not seriously consider our argument if we admit to more realistic levels of confidence (even if the realistic confidence is still compelling) than our insistence implies and (2) hurl actual personal insults, which does happen a lot especially on-line where remote communication distances us from our opponent. If only opponents in a debate could honestly agree to treat each other with respect, I think that we could avoid an enormous amount of misunderstanding and bruising.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 00:21:35 +0000
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