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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Neocon who wrote (64881)	10/30/2002 12:37:09 PM
From: The Philosopher	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

But if you don't like the dictionary definition, then if discourse is to be productive you have to proffer a substitute that people can agree on. From my high school debate days I recognized a basic debate principle: he who gets to define the terms wins the debate. It's why I was as successful as I was as a high school debater. But since IMO the goal here isn't -- or shouldn't be -- to win, but to engage in productive discussion, it shouldn't be a matter of one side trying to win by defining the terms their way, but where terms are obviously being used differently by different people, if we want to move forward we have to establish some agreement on the terms or forever be talking past, not to, each other. IMO, the dictionary definition becomes the default unless and until we have agreed to modify or amend it.