Rationality is something you do, not something you are.
If you use DA instead of rationality, you are not setting any kind of teaching example to the not particularly rational
section of mankind; and the already-fairly-rational segment are going to detect what you are doing and be put off
by it.
You mean the same way such works as Michael Moore’s films or The Story of Stuff are off-putting to those who can detect all the bad faith and the manipulative style they employ (even though I don’t know of any instances of actual lying)? Those are still a minority in an advanced stage of knowledge and savviness, and even then they can appreciate the message and agree with it, they just kind of look down on the creators of such works as a little crass and unsubtle. It’s because of attitudes like this that progressive movements have such trouble advancing in places like the USA: there’s a fairly large demographic of people who are almost instinctively repulsed by intellectual hipsters
Additionally, I am fairly sure there are public debaters who are appreciated for their talent on the debate floor without having to resort to any lies, half-truths or distortions of the truth, but who nevertheless ruthlessly beat their opponents to a pulp, usually because they do have truth on their side, but also often because they’re just that good at debate. Others have this reputation but fail to live up to it… only if you are an extremely attentive observatior: the subtle tricks they use completely fly over the heads of 99% of the audience.
Furthermore, there’s no reason the halfway-rational/rational-in-progress be put off by dark arts if they are used right, especially if the contrast between the rationalist debater and the other is very stark in terms of truthfulness and in term of shade of grey. Confusing “dark” and “pitch black” is as bad as saying everything is the same tone of grey . This contrast, if stark enough, still allows to teach a much better example to the irrational than what they are used to. At the very least, it doesn’t take a freaking saint to expose a crook or an idiot for what they are.
Rationality is something you do, not something you are.
If you use DA instead of rationality, you are not setting any kind of teaching example to the not particularly rational section of mankind; and the already-fairly-rational segment are going to detect what you are doing and be put off by it.
You mean the same way such works as Michael Moore’s films or The Story of Stuff are off-putting to those who can detect all the bad faith and the manipulative style they employ (even though I don’t know of any instances of actual lying)? Those are still a minority in an advanced stage of knowledge and savviness, and even then they can appreciate the message and agree with it, they just kind of look down on the creators of such works as a little crass and unsubtle. It’s because of attitudes like this that progressive movements have such trouble advancing in places like the USA: there’s a fairly large demographic of people who are almost instinctively repulsed by intellectual hipsters
Additionally, I am fairly sure there are public debaters who are appreciated for their talent on the debate floor without having to resort to any lies, half-truths or distortions of the truth, but who nevertheless ruthlessly beat their opponents to a pulp, usually because they do have truth on their side, but also often because they’re just that good at debate. Others have this reputation but fail to live up to it… only if you are an extremely attentive observatior: the subtle tricks they use completely fly over the heads of 99% of the audience.
Furthermore, there’s no reason the halfway-rational/rational-in-progress be put off by dark arts if they are used right, especially if the contrast between the rationalist debater and the other is very stark in terms of truthfulness and in term of shade of grey. Confusing “dark” and “pitch black” is as bad as saying everything is the same tone of grey . This contrast, if stark enough, still allows to teach a much better example to the irrational than what they are used to. At the very least, it doesn’t take a freaking saint to expose a crook or an idiot for what they are.