wedrifid comments on Agree, Retort, or Ignore? A Post From the Future - Less Wrong

35 Post author: Wei_Dai 24 November 2009 10:29PM

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Comment author: SforSingularity 25 November 2009 01:19:15AM *  3 points [-]

I think that this is a great idea. I often find myself ending a debate with someone important and rational without the sense that our disagreement has been made explicit, and without a good reason for why we still disagree.

I suspect that if we imposed a norm on LW that said: every time two people disagree, they have to write down, at the end, why they disagree, we would do better.

Comment author: wedrifid 25 November 2009 07:30:30AM 8 points [-]

I suspect that if we imposed a norm on LW that said: every time two people disagree, they have to write down, at the end, why they disagree, we would do better.

Unfortunately that is usually 'I said it all already and they just don't get it. They think all this crazy stuff instead.'

Just letting things go allows both to save face. This can increase the quality of discussion because it reduces the need to advocate strongly so you are the clear winner once both sides make their closing statements.