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Comment on People who reject challenging ideas as stupid without engagement are like intellectual nepobabies

SenK@lemmy.ca ⁨18⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

I get what you’re saying, but you’re kind of setting up a strawman yourself here here. Not every idea deserves endless debate, sure, it’s about the habit of dismissing things as “stupid” without even considering them. Sure, lizard people and bricks fixing teeth are absurd. But those examples are extreme on purpose, and they don’t really address the core of people rejecting ideas out of hand just because they’re unfamiliar or uncomfortable. If an idea is actually bad, it will fall apart under scrutiny. But if the default response is just “that’s dumb,” we’re not thinking critically, we’re just avoiding the work, and worse, we are participating in a culture where it’s okay to do so. Which is exactly what leads to people getting (and abusing) terrible ideas.

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SpiffyPotato@feddit.uk ⁨18⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

But those examples are extreme on purpose

Yes they were! And you’re right, we need to allow ourselves to be challenged, to consider ideas outside of our comfort zone, but we also need to able to reject ideas that are not being posited in good faith.

This is the joy of debate, to question statements and receive nuanced answers in reply.

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- Yliaster@lemmy.world ⁨17⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  How do you determine what’s not in good faith?
  
  I would imagine this would tie to values, but do those become the unquestionable object, then?
  
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  - SpiffyPotato@feddit.uk ⁨16⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    That’s a great question and I’m not sure I have a definitive answer. For lack of better description, it would be the vibe I got from them:
    
    Do I feel like they’re being deliberately argumentative.
    
    Do I feel like they’re trying to twist my words in an unkind way.
    
    Are they looking for ways to find offence in what I’ve said.
    
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  - clean_anion@programming.dev ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    I assume good faith unless clear evidence indicates otherwise. I try to adopt a more general version of WP:AGF in life.
    
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  - lastlybutfirstly@lemmy.world ⁨16⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    
    How do you determine what’s not in good faith?
    
    I personally always assume good faith. I can’t read people’s minds. On the Internet, I can’t even see facial expressions or hear how they’re saying it. It’s like that Key and Peele text message sketch.
    
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- SenK@lemmy.ca ⁨18⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  Oh my gosh, thank you for responding this way 😭
  
  I feel like on Lemmy it’s really difficult to ever post anything but total agreement without it immediately becoming an argument. Glad we found common ground!
  
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