SOCRATIC DEBATE

Well thanks a bunch, YouTube rabbit hole. Now the algorithm thinks I want to watch people arguing. 

Step up on one side, the passionate defender of a controversial opinion, outspoken, brave and clever. And to the other, the challenger, fizzing with righteous anger, bold and eloquent. Who’s the David, who’s the Goliath? Watch till the end to find out…

When did debating become such a spectator sport? And who, tell me, is having their minds changed by snarling gladiators in the amphitheatre? No. The fans sit in their tribal groups in the stands and they will boo the other fans and cheer on their hero to the death. The YouTube comments confirm it - every tedious time.

I tell you what I think I’d like to see: Socratic debate - the art of pushing collective understanding with reasoned, informative argument. I’d like it to be respectful, clear, honest and open-minded. I’d like one side to be prepared to be wrong and the other to be gracious, then for both sides to switch as they learn from each other. I’d like humility and respect for people, regardless of how absurd their ideas are, and a gentle pursuit of truth. I’d like it not to be a competition. I’d like a lot of things, I suppose.

Who knows where I need to go to get that! Not on social media, that’s for sure. And not on talk shows or YouTube channels either - people there seem quick to extinguish those who don’t agree with them while the world keeps burning, and then score points - just for that lovely dopamine fix of a thousand people cheering from behind them.

I’m so tired of it.