Quotes About Debate

They can shout down the head of the physics department at Cal Tech.

While he remained "steadfast in refusing to take part in Catholic services during the next four decades," Tobin's "intellectual development showed clear marks of his Jesuit training," Doig suggests, especially in his intense rationalism, appreciation of debate, and devotion to the classics.

In the age-old debate about whether leadership traits are innate or developed, memory—the ease and capacity with which the mind stores information—is generally considered an inborn trait.

On July 22, 1862, Abraham Lincoln convened a special session of his cabinet to reveal—not to debate—his preliminary draft of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Similarly, when Mr Quest complained about the international ring of Jews who controlled the world (which he had taken to doing lately, after reading some pamphlet sent to him through the post), Martha argued against him, in the most reasonable and logical manner; for one does not learn so young that against some things reason is powerless. And when Mrs Quest said that all the kaffirs were dirty and lazy and inherently stupid, she defended them.

the practical utility of Formal Logic to-day lies not so much in the establishment of positive conclusions as in the prompt detection and exposure of invalid inference.

Controversy is bad for the spirit, however enlivening to the wits.

Harriet grinned at Betty Armstrong, hearing the familiar academic wrangle begin. Before ten minutes had passed, somebody had introduced the word values. An hour later they were still at it. Finally the Bursar was heard to quote: God made the integers; all else is the work of man. Oh, bother! cried the Dean. Do let's keep mathematics out of it. And physics. I cannot cope with them.

I think we have different value systems. —Arthur Well mine's better. —Ford

Many respectable physicists said that they weren't going to stand for this -- partly because it was a debasement of science, but mostly because they didn't get invited to those sort of parties.

You'll have a national Philosopher's strike on your hands!

You want to check your legal position, you do, mate. Under law the Quest for Ultimate Truth is quite clearly the inalienable prerogative of your working thinkers. Any bloody machine goes and actually finds it and we're straight out of a job, aren't we? I mean, what's the use of our sitting up half the night arguing that there may or may not be a God if this machine only goes and gives you his bleeding phone number the next morning?

We always had the greatest arguments over sex and fishing.

What I wanted, frankly, was someone who would argue me out of the things that I was thinking.

One can't argue with a point of view.

But I really think that if we don't start caring about whether people tell the truth or not, it's going to be literally impossible to restore anything approaching a reasonable political discourse. Politicians have always shaded the truth. But if you can say something that is provably false, and no one cares, then you can't have a real debate about anything. I

Don't play semantic games with the prospect. Advertising is not a debate. It's a seduction.

If you want to avoid heated arguments, never discuss religion, politics, or whether the toilet paper roll should go over or under.

Whenever science makes a discovery, the devil grabs it while the angels are debating the best way to use it.

The mock rationality of the debate conceals the arbitrariness of the will and power at work in its resolution. It

would certainly not have admired Jesus Christ and he would have been horrified by St Paul—does

There has been much debate on the matter, but the present state of understanding is that no useful information can ever emerge from a black hole." ~"Understanding Space & Time

It was that same old spiralling argument, and again he didn't have the energy to fight his corner. 'When you put it like that, I guess it doesn't sound too ridiculous.

Some may try to argue that conservatism and libertarianism are contradictory perspectives. But I disagree.