It appears that you're engaging in RWI.
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life (Proverbs 4:23).
(1) The ProblemConsider the following dialogue:
Nicky Wu: Do you not realize 1+1=3?
Daniel Wu: Do you not realize that you don't even know how the operation of addition is performed? You probably haven't learn Arithmetic before, or know how many types of operations are in the most elementary branch of mathematics. Not that I expect you to have learned elementary maths, but at least don't pretend to know what you don't.
Nicky Wu: It has nothing to do with the operation of addition. My point is maths is confusing, “operators (e.g +,-,*,/) are confusing”. I learned maths when I was a kid. To tell you the truth, it sucks even in Algebra and Calculus, and the maths actually teach me “
imaginary number, i”. Yeah and I don't even understand what the purpose is, except more complex imaginations.
Next question: how do you think Nicky will react to Daniel's approach? Will he express joy and thankfulness at being shown how to do the maths better? Will Nicky enthusiastically commit to perform the operation of addition properly in the future? In fact, is he likely to make any positive long-term changes at all?
(2) The MechanismI didn’t think so and that’s where the
Self-Demolish approach comes in. Whenever I’ve been in situations like above, here is how I have handled them, using the approach. If I were Daniel, I'll reconstruct Nicky’s argument in the fundamental form, without comments or critics, and clearly exposing its faulty parts, by showing:-
(3) The ProcedureThis allows Nicky's argument to self-demolish. Sometimes the easiest way to guard your heart and to respect the arguer at the same time, is to
reconstruct the intended argument generously into the fundamental form, and then let the argument destroy itself by having its flaw clearly exposed for all to see. Most of the time, the faulty reasoning can be recognized even by someone who has no knowledge in critical thinking.
What you are seeing here is the “
respect” mechanics of a totally new way of having a difficult conversation;
i) a positive, blame-shift/criticism-free process that
ii) never puts the listener on the defensive,
iii) even in difficult or sensitive situations.
(4) What if I'm being personally attacked repeatedly?Here are the subtleties, depending what role you are playing. But I advise you, don't go overboard unless cornered.
i)
My Pastor said he's not stupid; he is just possessed by the spirit of Christopher Hitchens.ii)
My Biology teacher said he's not stupid; he is just devolving into a more “primitive” form over time.I agree with most of what you have to say. If theists and non theists were to try to (and I note it needs work) argue in that way, that would be so much better.
I'm not necessarily speaking of myself only btw. Just pleading to the general public of LYN to at least try to have more reason and less emotions involved in their arguments.
Thanks for the detailed organization of your point btw.