Start a debate with another party if all of the following are true:
I have resources to participate in a debate.
the debate question interests me.
I want to debate.
the other party wants to debate.
we both seem interested in truth-building (either as a scout or a soldier, using Galef’s model).
Instead of start a debate, offer information to another party if all of the following are true:
I have information to offer.
I want to offer information.
The other party is willing to receive information or the debate involves an open forum that includes third parties.
either I or the other party do not want to debate.
the other party could benefit from the information or the information clarifies my position to relevant third parties.
End a debate with another party if any of the following are true:
the debate question is now settled to the satisfaction of both parties.
the debate topic no longer interests me.
either I or the other party do not want to debate anymore.
one party is not interested in truth-building anymore.
Answers to potential questions about this policy
What does “truth-building between two parties” mean with regard to a debate question?
By “truth-building between two parties”, I mean:
both parties seek the truth.
both parties share truthful information with each other that helps answer the debate question.
neither party withholds truthful information from the other that would help answer the debate question.
neither party deceives the other party with false information that is ostensibly intended to help answer the debate question.
Why does a debate involve a debate question?
Any topic of debate that my policy addresses is more than a research topic. It is a topic about which two parties have conflicting beliefs. For my purposes, a conflict between two beliefs can be understood as a question, either a yes/no question or a multiple-choice question. Therefore, any topic of debate can be considered a question to answer between the two parties involved in a debate.
Noah’s Debate Policy
Start a debate with another party if all of the following are true:
I have resources to participate in a debate.
the debate question interests me.
I want to debate.
the other party wants to debate.
we both seem interested in truth-building (either as a scout or a soldier, using Galef’s model).
Instead of start a debate, offer information to another party if all of the following are true:
I have information to offer.
I want to offer information.
The other party is willing to receive information or the debate involves an open forum that includes third parties.
either I or the other party do not want to debate.
the other party could benefit from the information or the information clarifies my position to relevant third parties.
End a debate with another party if any of the following are true:
the debate question is now settled to the satisfaction of both parties.
the debate topic no longer interests me.
either I or the other party do not want to debate anymore.
one party is not interested in truth-building anymore.
Answers to potential questions about this policy
What does “truth-building between two parties” mean with regard to a debate question?
By “truth-building between two parties”, I mean:
both parties seek the truth.
both parties share truthful information with each other that helps answer the debate question.
neither party withholds truthful information from the other that would help answer the debate question.
neither party deceives the other party with false information that is ostensibly intended to help answer the debate question.
Why does a debate involve a debate question?
Any topic of debate that my policy addresses is more than a research topic. It is a topic about which two parties have conflicting beliefs. For my purposes, a conflict between two beliefs can be understood as a question, either a yes/no question or a multiple-choice question. Therefore, any topic of debate can be considered a question to answer between the two parties involved in a debate.
Why have a debate policy at all?
Another user of the EA forum (Elliot Temple) follows a debate policy. He shared the idea and his reasons with the EA forum’s members. I agree with some of his reasons, and offer these additional reasons. A written debate policy:
is a record of rules of debate conduct.
lets me explore and formalize distinctions that are applicable to a debate process.
is part of a specification for a teaching bot’s chat style.