Is devil’s advocacy just another get-out-of-argument-free card, like “Well, that’s just my opinion” and “I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree”? That is, something you say when you’ve “lost” the argument, or are about to lose, and want to withdraw without conceding social status (from the debate-as-game perspective) or altering your opinion (from the debate-as-truth-seeking perspective). That certainly looks like Phillip’s use of it above, although he’s obviously joking.
Even if you start out by saying “I’m just playing devil’s advocate”, as Phillip suggests in the beginning, you could in fact be counting on the fact that if your argument dominates, you can gradually play down your devil’s advocacy and let it be known that you’ve managed to persuade yourself as well.
So I remain suspicious of declarations of devil’s advocacy. People who deploy get-out-of-jail-free cards in arguments are the same kids who refused to lie down when they were shot in a playground game of Cowboys and Indians, always shouting “I’ve got bulletproof armour!” or some such. A game where one or more players can win or withdraw but never lose is clearly broken.
Is devil’s advocacy just another get-out-of-argument-free card, like “Well, that’s just my opinion” and “I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree”? That is, something you say when you’ve “lost” the argument, or are about to lose, and want to withdraw without conceding social status (from the debate-as-game perspective) or altering your opinion (from the debate-as-truth-seeking perspective). That certainly looks like Phillip’s use of it above, although he’s obviously joking.
Even if you start out by saying “I’m just playing devil’s advocate”, as Phillip suggests in the beginning, you could in fact be counting on the fact that if your argument dominates, you can gradually play down your devil’s advocacy and let it be known that you’ve managed to persuade yourself as well.
So I remain suspicious of declarations of devil’s advocacy. People who deploy get-out-of-jail-free cards in arguments are the same kids who refused to lie down when they were shot in a playground game of Cowboys and Indians, always shouting “I’ve got bulletproof armour!” or some such. A game where one or more players can win or withdraw but never lose is clearly broken.