Important Questionnaire #1: Debate vs Discussion

[Sunstone]

This questionnaire is important to me: I hope your answers will help me to get a better sense of what people see in RF. Please help out by responding to it.

For the purposes of the questionnaire, a debate is any conversation in which it is important to show which views are more likely to be right, and/or which views are more likely to be wrong.

On the other hand, a discussion is any conversation in which showing which views are right and/or which are wrong matters little or not at all.​

With that in mind, please pick which one of these three options is closest to the truth. If you do not see an option that suits you, please accept this poll was not designed for you, and move on.

OPTION ONE: I am more interested in debating religious topics than I am interested in discussing religious topics.

OPTION TWO: I am more interested in discussing religious topics than I am interested in debating religious topics.

OPTION THREE: I am just as interested in debating religious topics as I am in discussing religious topics.

OPTION FOUR: I am neither interested in debating nor in discussing religious topics.

 

[Secret Chief]

What happened to your bowl movements?

 

[Terry Sampson]

bowl movements

Bowl or bowel?

 

[Secret Chief]

Bowl or bowel?

It was originally "bowl." Oh how we laughed.

I think it's been deleted though...

 

[metis]

I chose curtain #2.

 

[Terry Sampson]

@Sunstone
Uhhh, ... excuse me.
#2 in the actual poll now says: "I am more interested in discussing religious topics than in debating them."
But below, in the body of the OP, Option TWO now says: "I am more interesting in discussing religious topics than I am interested in debating religious topics."

I'll change my vote if #2 in the actual poll is changed to correspond to Option Two in the body of the OP.

 

[The Hammer]

Number two, but on top of that I also come here to educate others.

 

[Sunstone]

@Sunstone
Uhhh, ... excuse me.
#2 in the actual poll now says: "I am more interested in discussing religious topics than in debating them."
But below, in the body of the OP, Option TWO now says: "I am more interesting in discussing religious topics than I am interested in debating religious topics."

I'll change my vote if #2 in the actual poll is changed to correspond to Option Two in the body of the OP.

Could you please explain to me what the difference is?

 

[Terry Sampson]

Could you please explain to me what the difference is?

Above: I am more interested ...
Below: I am more interesting ...

 

[The Hammer]

Above: I am more interested ...
Below: I am more interesting ...

But aren't you more interesting than discussing religion?

 

[Sunstone]

Above: I am more interested ...
Below: I am more interesting ...

Thank you for that. I've corrected it.

 

[Erebus]

I voted "I am more interested in discussing religious topics than I am interested in debating religious topics."

While I'm happy to both discuss and to debate, I tend to find that the most interesting topics pop up in the discussion forums. The debate sections often cover the same few topics over and over. I've established to my own satisfaction that the Bible is full of errors.

 

[Sunstone]

I voted "I am more interested in discussing religious topics than I am interested in debating religious topics."

While I'm happy to both discuss and to debate, I tend to find that the most interesting topics pop up in the discussion forums. The debate sections often cover the same few topics over and over. I've established to my own satisfaction that the Bible is full of errors.

I have to agree with you that the debates are quite repetitious.

By the way, are there any subjects you'd like to see discussion threads on in the near future?

 

[Terry Sampson]

But aren't you more interesting than discussing religion?

I'm still trying to decide? or should I poll RF members?
Nah, ... I'll decide.

 

[Heyo]

For the purposes of the questionnaire, a debate is any conversation in which it is important to show which views are more likely to be right, and/or which views are more likely to be wrong.

On the other hand, a discussion is any conversation in which showing which views are right and/or which are wrong matters little or not at all.​

Your definition here is slightly different than in your other OP "
The Key Difference Between Debate Threads/Forums and Discussion Threads/Forums."
I have subverted the intend of discussions a bit:
"Discussion: Here is an argument why you point seems wrong to me. What am I missing?"
In other words, I don't really see the difference.

But given the definition in this OP, I can definitely say that I am more interested in debate. A discussion, by this definition, is small talk. It's talking about the weather without the intention to do something against it. I can't learn from it, it doesn't bring new insights.

 

[Debater Slayer]

I prefer discussion. I only see a point in debates for topics where 1) I see potential for participants to change their minds in light of evidence and logic, and 2) the topics have a strong effect on the lives of any given person or group of people aside from the one(s) holding the belief I'm debating.

I'm far less likely to be interested in debating whether or not a god exists or whether reincarnation is true than I am to be interested in debating whether homosexuality should be viewed as a sin or whether men and women should have equal rights.

Arguing merely for the sake of proving oneself right is the sport of fools and pastime of the intellectually shallow.

 

[Erebus]

I have to agree with you that the debates are quite repetitious.

By the way, are there any subjects you'd like to see discussion threads on in the near future?

Ahh I think this is a classic case of, "I don't know what I want but I want it now!" for me.

To be honest, my own interests tend to revolve around folklore but that doesn't always fit within the category of religious discussion. There's overlap for sure but it tends to be somewhat tangential. Furthermore, I sometimes get the impression that folklore falls pretty far down the list of subjects people tend to want to discuss.

 

[Sunstone]

Ahh I think this is a classic case of, "I don't know what I want but I want it now!" for me.

To be honest, my own interests tend to revolve around folklore but that doesn't always fit within the category of religious discussion. There's overlap for sure but it tends to be somewhat tangential. Furthermore, I sometimes get the impression that folklore falls pretty far down the list of subjects people tend to want to discuss.

Give me time, I might cook something up. Folklore hasn't been done much. Seems time it should be.

 

[Secret Chief]

Although I have voted, based upon my understanding of the terms as put forward on this forum, in practice I find it difficult to separate the two. In defence of my lack of ability in this I present two definitions easily gained by virtue of a common and popular search engine:


Debate:
To engage in a formal discussion.


Discussion:
Debate; disquisition; the agitation of a point or subject with a view to elicit truth or gain a cause; argument about something.

 

[McBell]

OPTION THREE: I am just as interested in debating religious topics as I am in discussing religious topics.

Though I do tend to lurk unseen hidden in the shadows of most the religious threads I am watching.