How To Never Be Wrong (Remember Your Sources)

I love to whet my horns (hone my skills) in internet debate. I've been doing it since 1998. It was on UBB forums then (Ultimate Bulletin Board - a forum software most forums used). It's how I learned to write English.

People tell me the internet is just people yelling at each other and you can't change minds but I have gained lots of insights from debating people online. Often deepening my knowledge about a subject, even if they don't change my mind. I love to challenge what I believe against people determined to prove me wrong. On the internet. In real life I find it awkward.

It's horribly embarrassing when you realize you have been proven wrong. It has happened to me a few times and it feels like a punch in the stomach. It makes me sick to have been wrong. Tip one would be to be graceful in defeat and admit that you were wrong. Do not start writing gibberish or moving the goalpost.

Live in doubt. Doubt everything you believe, everything people tell you and keep having to prove it to yourself. Don't let contradictions slip. If there is some aspect you don't understand, research it. Express your doubt, if you doubt. Do not state things as fact if you are not certain. Look it up on your favorite internet search engine if you are uncertain.

Listen to many sources. It's important to find mentors. People who you trust to know what they are talking about and are telling the truth. But when you are about to believe someone, enter their name into a search engine with the word "debunked" or "criticism". 

Remember your sources. Don't state a fact but include where it comes from. Don't say "We don't have enough minerals for one 25 year generation of renewable energy", but say "According to a research paper by Professor Simon Michaux we don't have enough minerals for one 25 year generation of renewables". This means you can never be wrong. Your source may be wrong.

Look into "Cognitive Biases" and "Logical fallacies". The only real evidence is measurement and calculation. The conclusions of peer reviewed scientific papers is the best evidence we have. Numbers! If someone tells you "I'm a doctor and I say you have to eat your vegetables", that is a logical fallacy. An "appeal to authority" to be specific. "You have to eat vegetables because I'm a doctor" is as illogical as "the world is round because I'm a doctor", or "your hair is red because I'm a doctor". The only real evidence are peer reviewed scientific papers. "You have to eat your vegetables because meta analyses of the research shows that people who eat vegetables are healthier and live longer" is the correct argument. Not that the process of science isn't fallible or incorruptible. But it's the best truth we have.

Try not to be snarky about winning a debate. Don't embarrass people. Your object is to try and convince them of your argument, not to punish them for being wrong. Be the better person, even if someone starts attacking you personally. Don't make it personal even if your opponent tries to.

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