Quote:
Originally Posted by Mightyboosh
Ok, so you're defining 'reasonable' at the very least as 'logically valid', and a logically valid counter is enough to make you shrug your shoulders, say 'well played' and walk away? Surely the next step is to attack the premises to show that the counter isn't sound, that they're not true. Logically valid doesn't mean correct, as you clearly understand. I can prove that you're from mars if a logically valid argument is all that you require to give up on disagreeing with me...?
Hi, Mightyboosh. Thanks for your response to my post.
1. I would say an argument is "reasonable" if it is both a)logically valid, and b)its premises are prima-facia[sic] true. (This doesn't mean that the premises are in fact actually true, but thoughtful analysis would be required to conclude that they are in fact actually false.)
2. As I explicitly said in my post, if two arguments are both logically valid and their conclusions are contradictory to each other, then the debate revolves around the truth value of the premises in each argument.
3. In several recent discussions, posters such as Aaron gave reasonable arguments against a couple of positions that I was advocating, and at the time I couldn't come up with what I thought was a convincing counter, so I freely acknowledged that fact and "walked away" (in your words) from further discussion on the point. Now, that doesn't mean I've "walked away" forever, but unless or until I have an intelligent counter to what they said, then continuing on would be rather disingenuous and counterproductive.
4. I actually want to learn things and have productive conversations (just as you do). Maybe I'm reading something into your responses to my "walking away" from the discussion that you're not intending, but you seem to suggest I'm doing something wrong by not pursuing the discussion further. Well, I WILL pursue the discussion further if I have something intelligent to say on the matter. Until then, I will, as they say, "remain silent and appear ignorant, rather than to say something and thereby remove all doubt."
Have a blessed day!