Steve Simmons <scs at di.org> writes: > David Dyer-Bennet writes: > > > I'd say that emotion is often *involved* in intellectual debates, and > > that they frequently *do* involve passion -- but that this is a bad > > thing. > > I may be stepping outside the province of `intellectual debates,' but > emotion (if it's honest emotion, not faked or exaggerated for effect) > is a good indication of the intensity or importance of something to the > expressing person. I do think that's going outside the province of intellectual debates. *How much* somebody cares about something *in an intellectual debate* is completely irrelevant, except tactically. The truth of a belief is not increased by believing it more passionately. And intellectual debate is about *truth*. Obviously, many issues that we debate with people in day-to-day life are not issues best settled in a purely intellectual debate. -- David Dyer-Bennet, dd-b at dd-b.net / New TMDA anti-spam in test John Dyer-Bennet 1915-2002 Memorial Site http://john.dyer-bennet.net Book log: http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/Ouroboros/booknotes/ New Dragaera mailing lists, see http://dragaera.info