Using the Delphi Technique to Achieve Consensus [or How the Left builds consensus]

Eagle Forum ^ | November 1998 | Lynn Stuter

[Triple]

Exactly - see "Global Warming"

[untenured]

You do see this a lot on the 'net and occasionally on FR, usually practiced by someone who only asks questions, a technique also prevalent within the "Critical Thinking" curricula.

I have been to a number of "critical thinking" workshops, and indeed just conducted one where I work. In principle, and in the hands of an honest teacher, it is not only anodyne but produces better citizens. Students learn to ask questions like "What is the quality of the evidence?", "Are there any emotional words that are not defined?", etc.

Alas, the harm comes when what students are asked to be critical of never changes. For the higher-ed crit-think community (and it is fairly large) "critical thinking" always seems to amount to arguments for bigger government, encouragement to reason purely in terms of group identities rather than individuals, etc. Invariably, recognizably conservative arguments are used as raw material for "critical thinking." It's really sort of scandalous.

When I first started to seriously engage in that kind of Socratic interrogation in my classrom I used to use mostly arguments from the left as raw material. I eventually decided that, as satisfying as it was, the ideal teacher in this kind of critical-thinking process is one whose politics are unknown to the student. It is of course easy to say and hard to do.

[cinives]

I've run across those same people. However if you push them enough, more than a few lapse into name-calling and irrelevancy which totally outs their lib mindset.

[little jeremiah]

Thanks, I'll ping the list later. I've been sitting here waay too long. Duty calls.

[Aquinasfan]

Delphi technique bump. School superintendents are experts at this.

[little jeremiah]

"I remember him. I can think of about a dozen other current frequent posters who refuse to be nailed down on any issue, but happily excoriate those they consider 'extremists'. These 'extremists', not surprisingly, are almost always the social conservatives among us."

Where's the "Hammer Meets Nail" graphic when you need it!

[Antoninus]

Delphi technique bump. School superintendents are experts at this.

Good point. This probably needs to be bumped to the home school list as well....

[LZ_Bayonet]

"In group settings, the Delphi Technique is an unethical method of achieving consensus on controversial topics. It requires well-trained professionals, known as "facilitators" or "change agents," who deliberately escalate tension among group members, pitting one faction against another to make a preordained viewpoint appear "sensible," while making opposing views appear ridiculous."

aka the MSM

[TC Rider]

I've seen it in action in NC local politics.

Just keep asking the same question, it drives them nuts.

[IrishCatholic]

Interesting technique. Bookmark for later printing.

[neverdem]

Just added to my bookmarks so I don't lose it again...

Good idea. I should ping this thread when I have a few others. I've been seeing this crap in our politics since the 1960s. An alternative title is "How the left became so moonbat."

[soundbits]

Bumping for later reading.

[Tired of Taxes]

Thanks for the ping. This was an interesting read. Sounds exactly like what the Left is doing, especially with the topic of "same-sex marriage." My husband and I often have discussed how clever they are and how gullible the general public is.

[Antoninus]

Thanks for the ping. This was an interesting read. Sounds exactly like what the Left is doing, especially with the topic of "same-sex marriage." My husband and I often have discussed how clever they are and how gullible the general public is.

You should have seen how they manipulated the McGreevey thing here in NJ. If you watched the news, you would have thought that people were actually proud of him for coming out and abandoning his wife and child. It was all the fault of an intolerant system that he couldn't continue to serve as governor.

Very little mention of the fact that he was buggering an Israeli national who he then promoted to a sensitive state security post. The man is an absolute disgrace.

[backhoe]

titled "Have You Been Delphi-ed?".

THE DELPHI TECHNIQUE

[Gaffer]

There are a number of infiltrators on this board who masquerade as 'questioning' conservatives purely aiming to divide us and to get each other to fight with each other. They're probing to find out what works, what doesn't, what makes us fight amongst ourselves and which of their lies will work.It is very subtle and, now, they will be 'funded' to maintain this strategy throughout the next election at which time they won't need it anymore because they will have all three branches.

[Billthedrill]

Many thanks for a fascinating reply. I have long held that critical thinking bears the same relationship to Critical Thinking as libertarian does to Libertarian. If it's certified and wrapped in a package it probably isn't entirely the real thing.

I'd love to have taken one of your classes!

[Quix]

Agreed.

But, it COULD still be used by conservatives in a conservative way for conservative goals. Just as conservatives can use communist plumbing when touring Moscow.

[Tired of Taxes]

I live in NJ. Yes, the way they handled the McGreevey story was absolutely amazing. He knew exactly what speech to deliver to garner sympathy. The Democrats are very talented at being spin doctors.

[murphE]

Hmmm, I could name a few...