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What's the difference between discussion and debate?

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Dread Pirate Sayessa:
LOL!  That's great, thanks!

Kaos Wizard:
I'll preface my post by saying that I haven't read through the entirety of this thread. My attention span started to wander.

I'd like to point out that discussion and debate often go hand in hand for me. I can start out by refuting an idea, but sometimes the debate can bring me over to the other side at which point it becomes and discussion, and the process can go both ways. Especially when debating issues about the book sometimes there is no "right" answer, but the airing of several different points of view or ideas can bring a better understanding to the source material. If a discussion is becoming a debate and one person dosn't want to participate they don't have to. If someone gets sucked into debating an issue, it's really their own fault, no one is forcing them to argue the point. Of course I have a group of friends that is extremely argumentative and often will argue just for the sake of arguing a point.

ButMadNNW:
I know this thread's been dead a while, but I just wanted to say that I think there are too many people online (I'm saying In General, not on this board) who equate "Debate" with "Argument".

IMO:
- Discussion is sharing ideas (opinions) with no agenda, no hurt feelings, and no necessity for Proof.
- Debate is sharing ideas with the intention of "winning". Done correctly, this involves supporting one's statements with cited links, quotes, or other helpful backup/Proof. And it is civilized, no hurt feelings. The participants can agree to disagree, but the goal of Debate is "usually" to convince people that one's opinion is valid, based on fact, etc.
- Argument is what happens when we get into "I'm right, and you're an idiot." Which results in hurt feelings. And it doesn't usually involve one properly backing up one's statements.

Just my spare change.

Blaze:
In a debate, you do not need to believe in what you are saying, you simply take a point of view and do your darnedest to bring everyone over to the side/opinion you have chosen to promulgate.

In a discussion, you voice your opinions, and you listen to the opinions of others.  There does not need to be defense or attack in discussion as there is in a debate.

In a debate, one does not have to honor or respect the opposing position, or the proponent of that postion/opinion.

In discussion, everyone must be considered equal, and the validation of ideas is not so stringient.  There is no proof required in discussion, "that's my opinion" is sufficient justification for saying something.

You can, on a debate board set out rules:

All facts must be documented.
No obscene language.
The opinions stated do not have to be your actual opinions.
You may not say anything personal about the others engaged in the debate.
The debate must stay on topic. 

In a discussion, people can stray.  Discussions are organic.  They evolve.  In a discussion it is impolite to make personal comments, but there is no preclusion to the odd:  "Boy you're dumb."

How can you enforce a debate?  Simple, the moderator allows for three warnings of infraction of whatever rules are set out, and on the third infraction the person in violation is erased.  I can think of no more humiliating a fate on a discussion board than to have your name up there with a big blank space, or where the moderator wrote:  Violator. 

(Of course if the person redresses error and infractions they would get set back to zero.)

Debates could even have points or allow other users to vote on who wins.

In a Conversation, usually everyone wins.  We all have a nice time, a few laughs and go away satisfied.

Anyway, that is my opinion.  Thank you for asking.

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