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150 Years Ago, a Philosopher Showed Why It’s Pointless to Start Arguments on the Internet. I.E. Don’t feed the trolls.
getpocket.com ^ | 1/2/2019 | Olivia Goldhill

Posted on 02/14/2020 7:01:41 PM PST by rktman

Wildly inaccurate facts and spurious arguments are unavoidable features of social media. Yet no matter how infuriatingly wrong someone is, or just how much counter-evidence you have at your disposal, starting arguments on the internet rarely gets anyone to change their mind. Nearly a century-and-a-half ago, British philosopher John Stuart Mill explained, in a few clear sentences, why certain arguments simply won’t go anywhere. As historian Robert Saunders notes, Mill’s analysis neatly applies to heated and futile internet debates.

(Excerpt) Read more at getpocket.com ...


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KEYWORDS: arguments; bloggers; chat; facebook; internet; twitter
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Mark Twain: "No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot." Or a demodrone in most cases.
1 posted on 02/14/2020 7:01:41 PM PST by rktman
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To: rktman

Or the ‘Lost Cause’ fools.


2 posted on 02/14/2020 7:03:06 PM PST by Pikachu_Dad ("the media are selling you a line of soap)
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To: Pikachu_Dad

Still trying to figure out the attraction of the leading contestant for the demodrones. Boynee sanDUHs. WTH?


3 posted on 02/14/2020 7:07:24 PM PST by rktman ( #My2ndAmend! ----- Enlisted in the Navy in '67 to protect folks rights to strip my rights. WTH?)
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To: rktman

4 posted on 02/14/2020 7:07:35 PM PST by GreenLanternCorps (Hi! I'm the Dread Pirate Roberts! (TM) Atsk about franchise opportunities in your area.)
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To: rktman

Persuasion skills refer to the talent of changing the attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors of a person or group towards another person, group, event, object, or idea. ....It is usually done by conveying, in a message, some feelings, information, reasoning, or a combination......NONE of which needs to be true.


5 posted on 02/14/2020 7:07:40 PM PST by caww
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To: rktman

bttt


6 posted on 02/14/2020 7:09:17 PM PST by Chickensoup (Voter ID for 2020!! Leftists totalitarian fascists appear to be planning to eradicate conservatives)
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To: GreenLanternCorps

A favorite of mine. I often repeat it to the wife.


7 posted on 02/14/2020 7:10:05 PM PST by Pearls Before Swine
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To: rktman
Forget about the internet; I think it's a fool's errand for anyone who bases their opinions on reason to debate one who bases their opinions on feelings.

There's simply no objective standard by which the discussion can be measured.

The emotional thinkers (generally, liberals) will always try to move the argument away from the black and white of the facts and towards the emotional tug of a particular position.

8 posted on 02/14/2020 7:11:16 PM PST by Captain Walker
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To: rktman

They had single 32 year olds living in thier parent’s basement in 1850?


9 posted on 02/14/2020 7:12:00 PM PST by 2banana (My common ground with islamic terrorists - they want to die for allah and we want to kill them.)
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To: rktman

Summary:

“Logic won’t get a person out of a position that logic didn’t get them into”.


10 posted on 02/14/2020 7:12:39 PM PST by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: rktman; ConservativeMind; ealgeone; Mark17; fishtank; boatbums; Luircin; mitch5501; MamaB; ...
Yet no matter how infuriatingly wrong someone is, or just how much counter-evidence you have at your disposal, starting arguments on the internet rarely gets anyone to change their mind.

However, "Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit" (Proverbs 26:5) can have its place, as well as to show others that the proffered propaganda polemic is refuted.

Currently doing so with a advertising cloned Mormon. Beginning and end so far, by the grace of God..

11 posted on 02/14/2020 7:12:41 PM PST by daniel1212 ( Trust the risen Lord Jesus to save you as a damned and destitute sinner + be baptized + follow Him)
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To: 2banana

“...single 32 year olds living in thier parent’s basement in 1850?...”
-
I have seen many records of my ancestors from that time period
where 3 and sometimes 4 generations were living in the same house.
It was not uncommon at all.


12 posted on 02/14/2020 7:16:48 PM PST by Repeal The 17th (Get out of the matrix and get a real life)
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To: Captain Walker
The emotional thinkers (generally, liberals) will always try to move the argument away from the black and white of the facts and towards the emotional tug of a particular position.

"Rule By Anecdote"

13 posted on 02/14/2020 7:18:07 PM PST by kiryandil (Chris Wallace: Because someone has to drive the Clown Car)
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To: Captain Walker
The emotional thinkers (generally, liberals) will always try to move the argument away from the black and white of the facts and towards the emotional tug of a particular position.

"Rule By Anecdote"

14 posted on 02/14/2020 7:18:07 PM PST by kiryandil (Chris Wallace: Because someone has to drive the Clown Car)
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To: rktman

There’s a guy on the Mallard Fillmore comic strip board at Arcamax that uses different names as he is constantly banned.

Three quarters of that board is always littered with people answering his anti-Trump posts. I blocked him as useless, but too may there rise to the bait.


15 posted on 02/14/2020 7:19:08 PM PST by Oatka
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To: daniel1212

Yep. “Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish.” -—Euripides.


16 posted on 02/14/2020 7:19:34 PM PST by Fungi
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To: rktman
It’s Pointless to Start Arguments on the Internet.

No it isn't.

;|

17 posted on 02/14/2020 7:21:07 PM PST by FreeReign
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To: FreeReign

New Living Translation
“Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.


18 posted on 02/14/2020 7:25:04 PM PST by J. Worthington
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To: rktman

“I never get into arguments on the Internet. You never know what sort of silly stuff the poster is making up.” Socrates, 410 BC


19 posted on 02/14/2020 7:25:18 PM PST by Billthedrill
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To: rktman

That’s all very interesting; but very few people will read it.

Many people decide things according to their own educations and experiences, and derive their thoughtful conclusions from same.

A lot of other people just want to be ‘one with the crowd’, and decide what they think according to what they’ve seen ‘acceptable’ among the people they follow on the Web, or from the consensus of their local cohort.

You can’t argue with it, and there is no sense in posting about it.

You have to just post truth, as you see it, and hope that someone is watching who may understand and be influenced.

Posted on 02/14/2020 7:21:21 PM PST by Jamestown1630 (”A Republic, if you can keep it.”)


20 posted on 02/14/2020 7:26:48 PM PST by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, if you can keep it.")
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