How good of a "Devils Advocate" are you?

[WillParkinson]

Can you do either side of a discussion (either pro or con) even if you don't hold the belief you are discussing?

When I was in high school (back when dinosaurs still roamed the earth) we had a week-long "Controversial Subject Panel" on various hot button topics.

The one that my group got was homosexuality. I had to come out to the teacher because there was no way I could be on the con side and I was afraid to be on the pro-side because I thought I might give myself away.

I was on the pro-side, though (it was a drawing, there was no option) and did a pretty darn good job.

Don't ask me why I'm telling you this. It just came to mind.

[unblock]

1. for sake of argument, assume i suck at playing devil's advocate

[slackmaster]

2. I can argue just about any side of any subject

At least for a little while.

But I always have to return to my true belief system - Most of the problems the USA faces are directly attributable to our ongoing failure to fully adopt and embrace the Metric System.

:tinfoilhat:

[MAlibdem]

3. oh, im hella good

pointing out to people that their weird religious views on issues like abortion and gay marraige are done by their churches to control them and maintain man's control over women and ensure a happy inheritance is fun. i hate it when g-d is co-opted for such bullshit.

edit: for example, i made someone who was trying to act like a gay marraige moderate burst out "ok, they're (gays) an abomination! im not pc anymore"

it was sort of fun, sort of disturbing.

edit #2: look at this exchange:

Msrjackal: if you really boil it down
Msrjackal: the question is, do you approve of homosexuality?
Msrjackal: approve=tolerate, not care about, consider normal
B-------6: no i don't think there valid...i think its an abomination...there im no longer pc....but Im tolerant...somwe wld say to tolerant
Msrjackal: ah
Msrjackal: ok, just so we're clear
B-------6: uhhh i am get sooo abused whn i go to college...
Msrjackal: b/c i really dont like it when anti-gay marraige ppl try to act like they aren't bigots
Msrjackal: because, as you said...it's an abomination

[kodi]

4. as a kid i was picked right after the best athlete because i could argue

.

[unblock]

8. lol!

[Az]

5. I believe it is necissary

for any that wish to partake in any level of serious debate. Being incapable of seeing the opposite sides arguments is a serious blind spot. You will always be playing catchup if you cannot postulate where they may lead the argument.

[sweetheart]

6. The easiest way to expose wrong thinking

Is to magnify their views in a more extreme sense. For example say
someone believes in american imperialism. Ask them how many people
they like to kill in a given year. How many people they'd like to
see die in a thermonuclear war. WOuld they mind it if the military
invaded their home and killed their children? Would they mind it if
their president lied and did that to someone elses children?

What about just plain state murder, and we'll change the constitution
to murder anyone preemptively who does not agree with the AWOL shrubbery.

We are the ultimate kick ass military and nobody fucks with us, or
we'll nuke their country back to the stone age. Nukes KICK ASS... and the best way to bring peace to the world is to nuke all people
who oppose the israeli army... and nuke all people who think that
israel should not take over jordan and syria for a greater jewish
prison. Then they can kill the arabs off one by one, and burn thier
bodies in the ovens.

[DarkPhenyx]

7. I'm pretty good at DA'ing.

Lord knows I've done it often enough on here. Always with the caviate that I am DA'ing though.

I had a similar experience in HS. When man had yet learned to walk upright mind you. You were required to write down your position on several topics then required to argue against your position. No lottery in our case. You also had to do the research and be conviencing. I was the only one to get a B. There were no A's.

[unblock]

9. i have actual credentials!

i won an award in high school, the avocatus diaboli.
it's for one student each year, given by the debate coach.

to win, i had to convince that sick psychotic bastard that i actually liked him (just kidding).

[Ready4Change]

10. Almost as good a DA as not.

I find it easy to flip my mind and look at an issue from the other side. So easy that at times it can make me hesitant to take a hard stand on a subject.

However, my debating skills are quite weak. That, combined with my willingness to see "the other side," gives hard opposing debaters a real edge.

That's why I enjoy debates in forums like this, or in chatrooms, better than debates in person. Typing gives me time to gather my thoughts, and express them clearly. In live debates I'm too easily twisted.

[SOteric]

11. I actually excel at it and believe it a requirement

for forming good, rational thought and opinion.

I received all of my education at the hands of the Jesuits. We tended to argue points of view, in the course of our education, of which we were unaware and did not hold personally as a method of learning.

[DS1]

12. I'll argue for the sake of arguing if I'm bored

:shrug:

Not all the time of course, it's just fun to go completely opposite at parties. Also at bars I can mold to any conversation, then slide the knife in just before I leave :evilgrin:

[amazona]

13. yes, it's sort of a hobby of mine

According to NLP I'm a negative responder. If someone proposes an idea to me, my first reaction is to poke holes in it and find all the problems with their suggestion. It's valuable to be able to see all (there are generally more than just two) sides to figure out the weakness in your own plan or position but it needs to be kept in check, because 1) it could make you fairly unpopular if you played DA too often, and 2) it can leave you a quivering mass of indecision.