loco4viento wrote: ↑Tue Jun 26, 2018 9:28 am
No response is a very good approach when the prospect of a rational conversation seems unlikely. Better than wasting your time and beating your head against a wall.
"No response" is the poorest approach. It allows stupidity, absurdity, and extremism to flourish.
Though you will definitely be beating your head against the wall trying to convince an extremist with facts, evidence, and logic, you may give those who are loosely aligned with that extremist's views a chance to see what cooler heads and rational thought have to say about the subject. And opening just a few minds, who would most likely have their thought process degraded by those extremist's views - should no one oppose them, can change the course of history.
Often times extremists, and occasionally those in the center, refuse to debate out of fear of their position being weakened upon the conclusion of that debate. This is the main problem with "science" right now. Too many "scientists" or "industry interests" want to prove their position correct, rather than find out what is happening in reality. Refusal to debate may only make your position
seem weak, but debating and confirming that weakness has the potential to completely destroy your position. This is why many wish to cease conversation and willingly allow extremism to build up. To put it simply, 'So long as my side increases it's followers and adherents, my side becomes more powerful and so do I'. Thus the result of refusal to beat your head against the wall is that extremist ideas become more and more commonly accepted on both sides.
Can you think of any class or group in society that feeds off of that division???