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alienist comments on Letting it go: when you shouldn't respond to someone who is wrong - Less Wrong Discussion

7 [deleted] 19 December 2014 03:12PM

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Comment author: alienist 21 December 2014 12:56:04AM 7 points [-]

I find that asking people to clarify their argument until its flaws are obvious works better then clarifying it yourself in a way they'll perceive as uncharitable.

Comment author: CBHacking 21 December 2014 03:34:25AM 1 point [-]

That places the onus on them to keep the conversation going. They gain the option of either just not responding, or saying "I really don't see how this could be misinterpreted" or similar and just re-stating their view.

With that said, though, it does seem more likely to work, if the goal is a functional community rather than making a particular point.