Quotes About Debate

The shameful thing is that this campaign is effective in the West. Western liberals now seem to collude against critical thought and debate. I never cease to be amazed by the fact that non-Muslims who consider themselves liberals—including feminists and advocates of gay rights—are so readily persuaded by these crass means to take the Islamists' side against Muslim and non-Muslim critics.

Let me make my point in the simplest possible terms: Islam is not a religion of peace.

At the root of Pakistan's national identity crisis has been the unresolved debate on how to square the state's self- proclaimed Islamic identity with the obligations of a modern nation- state. This has been confounded by an official history that cannot explain the gaping inconsistencies between the claims of Muslim nationalism and the actual achievement of statehood at the moment of the British withdrawal.

There is no logical answer to the question ' Why be moral'. Religions provide practical answers to the question.

Faith doth both admit and reject disputation with difference.

The power of a government by discussion as an instrument of elevation plainly depends—other things being equal—on the greatness or littleness of the things to be discussed.

Nobody cares for a debate in Congress which "comes to nothing," and no one reads long articles which have no influence on events.

Rare is the election campaign that truly hinges on a single issue.

The difficult part in an argument is not to defend one's opinion but rather to know it.

I've learned over the years that 'rational discussion' accomplishes almost nothing in politics, particularly with people better educated than average.

We're living in interesting times, where people seem to be able to say things which are contrary to what you would call rationalism.

To be clever in argument is not rationality but rationalization.

We need to get some rationality on the Second Amendment. This is crazy what we allow ourselves.

The Internet doesn't just enable cool avatars and the shorter form. It also allows the deeper form: cross-linked blog posts, extensive research, simultaneous screens and raw debate footage that anyone can scan online, at any time.

If all the economists were laid end to end, they'd never reach a conclusion.

The number of children is not growing any longer in the world. We are still debating peak oil, but we have definitely reached peak child.

My mother cared more about how you reasoned than about the conclusions you reached.

I have been outspoken on my opposition to 'Obamacare,' and I don't buy the line that our Medicaid program, or any function of government, has reached maximum efficiency.

'Obamacare,' as it's been called, is far too reaching. It's overreaching. It needs to have a lot of it repealed.

Whether we buy into the rhetoric or not, one thing has been made clear: Illegal immigration is a problem reaching a breaking point, and something must be done.

Every time you engage in a political debate, there is a guaranteed headache from the comment section, from the reaction from everything.

I don't feel like emotion has place in a debate, because emotion doesn't encourage rational debate - it shuts it down. It supplants rational debate with quick, emotional reactions.

If we can't have a public debate because the information space is so polluted, or because people are afraid of the reactions of organized trolls, then we can't really have meaningful elections anymore, either.

For me it's more important that I outline all the facets of a controversial issue and let the reader make up his or her mind. I don't care if readers change their minds, but I would like readers to ask themselves why their opinion is what it is.