Does CreateDebate help you make decisions?
No, but I get to vent.
Side Score: 2
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Yes, it's changed my mind.
Side Score: 13
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I haven't used it long enough to say for certain. However, I doubt it'll be a major part of my decision making, and at best will serve as a "3rd opinion" (I will concede that there's a lot to be said in favor of the collective opinions of people). Side: No, but I get to vent.
No, and I don't think it ever will. As someone who was on a debating team (albeit a student one), I think most of the more interesting debates are either about things most of us won't ever have the power to change ("This House would abolish the monarchy", for example...) or abstract things, like "This House believes euthanasia is wrong". You can maybe be convinced that, say, Fairtrade food isn't the best way to help the third world, but I don't think you're likely to be helped make decisions. Debating's an intellectual game, not a moral guide. Side: No, but I get to vent.
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Whilst there are some areas where my view could not be changed simply through debate (such as religion, which would require actual evidence), createdebate has made me think about certain issues in a different way. As I've said before, you often find with the friends you choose that you're cubbyholed into a certain world view. Nearly all of my friends are atheists, for example. I never get to hear the genuine opposition to atheism (just using this as an example) in the real world. CreateDebate basically allows me to hear both sides of certain arguments which I thought were pretty clear cut. Whilst it doesn't help me make decisions, it definately aids me in looking at certain issues from a different point of view. It's also allowed me to become more competant in arguing the things that I know I am correct in. I've learnt a lot about the things that I hold dear by having to defend those things in logical debate. Side: Yes, it's changed my mind.
I think its still too early to tell, since we just launched into a public beta three weeks ago. We hope that CreateDebate will help people make better decisions by allowing people to hear the different arguments for each side of a debate and then make better (i.e. informed) decisions based off of the knowledge they have gained from the other people on the site. Side: Yes, it's changed my mind.
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Create Debate will be a great forum to pose questions and peruse what others are thinking about topics. If a topic is presented that one doesn't know a lot about it could change your mind based on the ideas and "facts" presented. At least it will be enlightening to see how others view the world and what is happening in it. That's why I listen to NPR and conservative talk radio, to get different perspectives! Side: Yes, it's changed my mind.
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