I was recently sold on this being a valuable practice, not for the audience, but for the practitioners. Someone (with debate club experience) argued that a debate club where you have to argue for positions you don’t hold forces you develop the muscles of stepping outside your current frame/headspace and actually avoid soldier mindset for yourself.
This too. In the format I’ve been using, both participants spend 15 mins going on a walk thinking about the subject before they know which side they’re arguing. These walks have been one of the more intense periods in my life of desperately searching for a contrary perspective from the default one that I bring to a subject, because I might be about to have to quickly provide strong arguments for it to someone I respect, and I’ve found it quite productive for seeking ways that I might be wrong.
I was recently sold on this being a valuable practice, not for the audience, but for the practitioners. Someone (with debate club experience) argued that a debate club where you have to argue for positions you don’t hold forces you develop the muscles of stepping outside your current frame/headspace and actually avoid soldier mindset for yourself.
This too. In the format I’ve been using, both participants spend 15 mins going on a walk thinking about the subject before they know which side they’re arguing. These walks have been one of the more intense periods in my life of desperately searching for a contrary perspective from the default one that I bring to a subject, because I might be about to have to quickly provide strong arguments for it to someone I respect, and I’ve found it quite productive for seeking ways that I might be wrong.