Debate on the Internet

So, in my random sightseeing tours of the internet via facebook and google reader, I see very different forms of debate going on. For the most part, it's very interesting. Though I tend to read people who I find at least somewhat ideologically aligned to myself, I pride myself on trying to read from authors who are not aligned with my own beliefs. At the same time, I cannot imagine ever posting to a discussion board like the ones on Youtube, Amazon, or any of a million other sites (Note: I said the same thing to myself about blogging). The reasons for my hesitance are both varied and pretty straightforward. First and foremost, it's really hard to have civil conversation about topics that go to the heart of peoples' worldview. Case in point, below are two videos.





If you care to look at the comments section, you get an even better perspective on what this argument really sounds like. Me, I really don't want to be part of anything that would resemble something like this, so I try to refrain from getting into these arguments and write a blog that approximately 10 people (seven of which are friends or family) read. Easy for me and it gives me a chance to get to my next point: the value of friends in debates.

I had a really good discussion with a friend of mine during the past couple days. The conversation involved a lot of back and forth, but involved a lot of good questions. During the dialogue, I recognized that 1) I'm getting a tiny bit better at making coherent arguments 2) Arguing with friends is both dangerous and probably a good thing. It forces you to leave the ad hominem attacks (you saw above) at the door and stick to the business of reasoning through some complex questions. At the same time, it's hard to not step on toes when you are getting into the thick of it. My friends and family tolerate me a great deal more than any person should rightfully expect and it's always appreciated.

Finally, to end on a positive note, I wanted to display what I consider to be a better kind of debate of substance on very similar issues. The posts to look for are by Brad Delong and Tyler Cowen. Both are good economists. Click to previous pages to see more posts. The posts are long, but are an example of what debate can look like on the internet.

P.S. - Hawaii continues to be awesome and I will post on it later today.