How often have you changed somebodies mind in a debate?

Shadow WarChief · Post by **Shadow WarChief** » 2002-09-04 03:14pm

For every 150 debates you take part in with ignorant trekkies, or other sci-fi fanboys, there is always one in which your logic breaks through the logical shield of the person in question, and they convert.

When and how has this happened with you?

I can only remember one instance of such a miracle.

It was on a Godzilla board.

The debate was on whether the cartoon version of the American Godzilla could defeat the japanese Godzilla from the first series of movies.

I continued pounding my positions into the oppositoin, but they just wouldn't budge, unil miraculosuly, on the 8th page of the debate, I flat out convinced him.

And he had been one of the bigger people on the opposition. I almost fell out of chair when I read the words. I saved a copy of the debate just so I could look back at someone who's mind I changed. (i'll post it when i get back from school)

So let's hear your stories.

Faram · Post by **Faram** » 2002-09-04 03:57pm

Not actually changed his mind but…

There is an election coming here the 15th September, our fundamentalist moron party here Christian Democratic Coalition Party KDS had a rally. I took the opertunity to ask some questions

Anyway

Armed with some nice quotes from The Skeptic's Annotated Bible about the bible view on thing like women, evil, god and using the argument here from The Devil link Stardestroyer BBS

I got them hard when they admitted that the bible is not that good, and they are working without the part where GOD is evil and just whit the intent of the bible.

I just asked if I could have a copy of that bible…

Curtains for them

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2002-09-04 04:09pm

I've made people running screaming from the room before(Fundies mostly when confronted with some-one who acutal read the book and did not gloss over the nasty parts)
I've made Preachers and Priest swear and *pacifists attempt violence(Tradtionaly Pacifists when they stop being pacifists can not fight that well)

Ender · Post by **Ender** » 2002-09-04 05:04pm

I didn't so much "change" someone's mind as "Utterly destroy it unto the point where they wish for a quick death to relieve the pain", and I didn't so much "argue" as "I linked to goatse".

But I still won.

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2002-09-04 05:18pm

Faram: Normally I frown on exterminating my Christian brethren, but since they believed in Biblical perfection, they're stupid, and therefor it's ok.

-hands faram a cookie-

Solid Snake · Post by **Solid Snake** » 2002-09-04 11:51pm

Never, whenever i get in a debate, i usually offend or piss off my opponent. Sometimes unintentionally, sometimes so. Christians especially.

Post by **AdmiralKanos** » 2002-09-04 11:57pm

I've had 30-40 Trekkies E-mail me saying that stardestroyer.net changed their minds about the Federation's ability to withstand the armed might of the Empire. Mind you, that's a special case because they're not really arguing with me so much as reading my arguments with other people. I think the emotional stress of a one-to-one debate tends to make people "dig in" to their positions.

On the other hand, I've had precisely one creationist tell me that the other part of my website changed his mind about evolution. In my own judgement, my creationist website makes much stronger arguments than my Star Wars website, yet it appears effective only in swaying fence-sitters or providing ammunition to the forces of enlightenment. It would appear that creationists are even more hard-headed than Trekkie fanatics (I guess that shouldn't come as a surprise).

RayCav of ASVS · Post by **RayCav of ASVS** » 2002-09-05 12:18am

AdmiralKanos wrote:I've had 30-40 Trekkies E-mail me saying that stardestroyer.net changed their minds about the Federation's ability to withstand the armed might of the Empire. Mind you, that's a special case because they're not really arguing with me so much as reading my arguments with other people. I think the emotional stress of a one-to-one debate tends to make people "dig in" to their positions.

On the other hand, I've had precisely one creationist tell me that the other part of my website changed his mind about evolution. In my own judgement, my creationist website makes much stronger arguments than my Star Wars website, yet it appears effective only in swaying fence-sitters or providing ammunition to the forces of enlightenment. It would appear that creationists are even more hard-headed than Trekkie fanatics (I guess that shouldn't come as a surprise).

Mike Wong changed my mind so much I am now thouroughly convinced that he is infact GOD!

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2002-09-05 07:13am

But Mike Wong does not belive he is god and if somone thinks he is they must not be thinking which means we can't prove they exist Ergo RayCav does not exist

Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman · Post by **Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman** » 2002-09-05 08:20am

So far, the only one I have changed his mind in a debate is Kolinar Romanov. Moreover, it turned out that he is man enough to admit his mistakes.

http://bbs.stardestroyer.net/viewtopic. ... 56&start=0

Well, now, I wonder if anyone can change DarkStar's mind without tying him in chair and applying various torture device

sgiathach · Post by **sgiathach** » 2002-09-05 09:44am

Years ago, I found out the ideal way of getting rid of Jehovah witnesses: discuss with them. Once, a pair of them came to my door, and I thought well, I have time, and discussed with them.

Note: Jev's prohibit blood transfusions, because the scripture says something about eating blood is forbidden. EATING!!

Well, after 15 minutes or so of talking to them, I mentioned that if it were for their religion, I'd never been able to talk to them, as I needed blood transfusion at a few weeks of age, and this direct image: "this guy would be dead if it wasn't for transfusions", made them admit that their rule is not that good.

Also, when they imparted their "god's kingdom" vision to me, and besides that the bible is the word of god written down by humans (they compared it to a document a company boss dictatates to his secretary), I replied that in their "kingdom", it would _always_ be humans giving the orders, and no-one could prove whether it was really god's will, and in the end those humans would just abuse their power, period.
I talked a bit more eloquently, and seem to have made some impact on them, as they accepted all my points, and they were never seen again.

Straha · Post by **Straha** » 2002-09-05 04:30pm

Under my opther account Robgea I have smacked down many a creationist arguement. Mostly though you can just smack down bits and pieces of it at a time.

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2002-09-05 05:05pm

Heh. Jehovah's Witnesses irritate me to no end. So do Mormons. But that's a thread for another topic.

RayCav of ASVS · Post by **RayCav of ASVS** » 2002-09-05 10:29pm

Mr Bean wrote:But Mike Wong does not belive he is god and if somone thinks he is they must not be thinking which means we can't prove they exist Ergo RayCav does not exist

Nice one. Kinda like the whole theory as to how Black Adder films don't actually exist

C.S.Strowbridge · Post by **C.S.Strowbridge** » 2002-09-05 11:39pm

Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman wrote:Well, now, I wonder if anyone can change DarkStar's mind without tying him in chair and applying various torture device

Where's the fun in that?

consequences · Post by **consequences** » 2002-09-06 02:46am

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman:
Well, now, I wonder if anyone can change DarkStar's mind without tying him in chair and applying various torture device
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Where's the fun in that?

Well, it only forbids tying him up AND applying torture devices, technically one or the other is still a valid option.

Bob McDob · Post by **Bob McDob** » 2002-09-07 02:23am

Well, Baron von LOAF and his Merry Guild have changed my mind on several occasions . . . though that doesn't really count, ne?

Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman · Post by **Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman** » 2002-09-07 04:58am

consequences wrote:
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman:
Well, now, I wonder if anyone can change DarkStar's mind without tying him in chair and applying various torture device
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Where's the fun in that?
Well, it only forbids tying him up AND applying torture devices, technically one or the other is still a valid option.

Too bad none has been literally doing either one......

gravity · Post by **gravity** » 2002-09-07 09:37am

I'm proud to have changed Jim Grumble's oh-so-stubborn mind on at least one occasion

.

gravity · Post by **gravity** » 2002-09-07 09:39am

Jim Grumble being a former Spacebattler like myself, and the argument being over the Culture vs. Total Annihilation (as you can guess, I was arguing for the Culture and won, even after much quoting of the most ludicrous fanfics, half of which he probably made up himself :p).