Whence true debate?
A recent thread on CheeseFunnel went from some opinions of Farenheit 9/11 through a gamut of Michael Moore vs. Rush Limbaugh vs. the Bush Administration vs. fairness and truth. Given that the people yapping are generally left of center, you can imagine how some of it went.
However, one theme that came up was sociopolitcal debates in the current climate and why they’re so, well, useless. People talk—often vehemently—on both sides of every issue, but it seems no one’s opinion ever changes. That seems a much broader issue than just who can line up votes in November. After some pondering, I think the current lack of real debate stems from a few things:
- Those most likely to make themselves heard—be they politicians, pundits, or entertainers (with the distinctions often being blurry these days)—are usually less interested in finding truth and balance than they are in pushing a point of view
- Few people, especially those described in the previous point, seem capable of admitting error and handling it gracefully. (Even prestigious newspapers seem indisposed to printing corrections and retractions on page 1.) I think it’s more than just trying to save face, I truly belive a lot of people, once they’ve made an opinion, simply can’t conceive that they may be wrong about it.
- Most people aren’t really trained (or at least experienced) in presenting or analyzing a proper, balanced argument. The scientific method—which stresses both challeging one’s facts/ideas and seeking alternates—is touched on in school but not stressed except in college and grad school (at least for some disciplines).
So, what results is a lot of blather from people who aren’t interested in making solid cases heard by people who probably don’t see the problem and are only hearing the things that support their pre-conceived notions anyway. No wonder the country is so divided and partisan at the moment.