(May 25, 2017 at 12:17 pm)Harry Nevis Wrote:(May 25, 2017 at 11:58 am)Valyza1 Wrote: Nope. The original post quoted me but didn't have a response. It was changed after I posted that.
I agree 100% when it comes to certain kinds of criticism, but not when it comes to ridicule. There's nothing open minded about derision of anything and only serves to sway the openminded towards one side, whilst strengthening the prejudices of the other side. So if your goal is to close the minds of the genuinely open minded, then by all means, use ridicule. Otherwise, criticism is your best bet.
I disagree. Pointing out the ridiculousness of a belief doesn't automatically close minds. If someone was more interested in the tone rather than the information conveyed, they weren't that open minded in the first place.
We probably agree more than is apparent. I'm not talking about a tonal difference. Criticism IS pointing out absurdities. Ridicule is taking absurdities for granted and finding entertainment from them. The open minded, by definition, have not yet taken any position for granted, so they are not in the same position as the one who is ridiculing. They may adopt a position for social or emotional reasons, but they can't be personally convinced by ridicule. The only "information" being conveyed is the opinion of the one who's ridiculing.
