Heated debate concerning religion, politics, or philosophy

[Ben-CS]

I am beginning to think that it can be disastrous to get involved in a heated debate concerning religion, politics, or philosophy.

 

[Another God]

Only if you let it be a disaster

heated is bad. If it is heated, then the argument has stopped being logical, and has started being egotistical : "I am right, because if I am wrong, I will look stupid!" sort of ego...

But that isn't necessarily disasterous

 

[Ben-CS]

[Applauds] An excellent response, O.G..

 

[Lifegazer]

Originally posted by Ben-CS
[Applauds] An excellent response, O.G..

Yes it was. Nice one AG.

 

[wuliheron]

Where do you people live? People are dying in the war as we speak and you refer to a few heated long distance anonymous arguments at a moderated website as disasterous?

A rat done bit my sister Nel
with Whitie on the moon
Her face and arm began to swell
and Whitie's on the moon

I can't pay no doctor bills
while Whitie's on the moon
10 years from now, I'll be payin' still
with Whitie on the moon

You know the man just upped my rent last night
cause Whitie's on the moon
No hot water, no toilet, no lights
but Whitie's on the moon

I wonder why he's uppin' me,
cause Whitie's on the moon?
well, I was already givin' him 50 a week
and now Whitie's on the moon

The taxes taken my whole damn check,
the junkies make me a nervous wreck,
and as if that crap wasn't enough

A rat done bit my sister Nel
with Whitie on the moon
Her face and arms began to swell
and Whitie's on the moon

With all that money I made last year
to put Whitie on the moon
How come I got no money here?
hmm, Whitie's on the moon

Y' know, I've just about had my fill
of Whitie on the moon
I think I'll send these doctor bills,
air mail special, to...

Whitie on the moon

Gil Scott Heron

 

[Lifegazer]

Disastrous for the argument itself. Not world affairs. The usage of the word was justified.

 

[Ben-CS]

Not disastrous in that respect, W.L.H.; you are taking this entirely out of context. I meant disastrous in the sense that it impedes progress and wastes several resources (i.e., time, energy, etc.) without accomplishing anything of significance.



(Let's hear it for self-fulfilling prophesies. [Sigh])

 

[wuliheron]

Wellllll... I sort of agree then. I've seen contentious people trash out the most touchy-feely, warm-fuzzy, and humorous threads imaginable. Being a largely foreign worldview to people at this website, Asian thought is particularly prone to such attacks. However I've also found that such contentious people help me to sharpen my own arguments so I don't waste so much time with them and learn to express myself more concisely.

Asian thought websites tend to have the opposite problem. Being contentious is considered a sign of spiritual and mental weakness among Asians. It can be difficult to get people to talk at times and what they'll say is often very enigmatic, hence the reputation for being inscrutable.

They say wisdom comes from the east and creativity from the west. All that contention can be creative, if wearying. :0)

 

[zimbo]

I can imagine how it could harm your interaction with others when you start to have 'heated' discussions with them.

When people have a 'heated' discussion/argument, it means that they care deeply about what they are talking about, and also they feel that not everyone shares their viewpoint. (Nobody is zealous about '2+2=4', important as it may be.)

I often have discussions/arguments about religion/philosophy with good friends, and that has not affected the friendships negatively (or so I assume! ). The important thing is to keep in mind that when others disagree with you, it's not because they don't like you or they don't respect your view, but that they feel strongly in favour of a different one.

Handled properly, such explorations of differences in opinions can do much good between friends - not only agreeing to disagree, but understanding where the disagreement lies.

Of course I always have to work hard to keep my ego out of the way (what AG said about the ego is so true!)

 

[Sourire]

Originally posted by Ben-CS
I am beginning to think that it can be disastrous to get involved in a heated debate concerning religion, politics, or philosophy.

Heated only means that someone lost control of there emotions, and in any situation that is not good. I believe the only reason that they lash out and loose control is because they feel threatened and they are not sure how to handle it. I have also learned that it IS a waste of energy and time to get all upset and heated about something. When you get heated you have lost the ability to direct the conversation and are no longer thinking rationaly. You have to learn to separate the emotion from the fact.