This website, all nurses, has TOS which have guidelines to which members need to adhere. Under Posting information, it states "We promote the idea of lively debate. This means you are free to disagree with anyone as long as your criticism is constructive and polite..."
In a nutshell, that's a very good guideline, basically stating, "feel free to disagree, but be polite about it".
There have been instances where debates went outside of these guidelines and those in control reacted appropriately, giving guidance, deleting inappropriate posts, etc.
In addition to the guidelines of the TOS, debating premises in a polite society have other certain specific guidelines. Guidelines, if not to which are adhered, become as Daisy4RN stated, "a blood bath".
I would enjoy reviewing- and applying- the guidelines of debating in a polite society in this thread. There is a specific systematic approach to the art of debate as there is to any professional procedure we have, as nurses, utilized.
The first step on any debate is to present a premise, which is a statement based on a belief or opinion. Any premise needs to have facts to support it. Documented and/or empirical facts are the strongest. Facts based on feelings or emotions are the weakest, since they are usually not based in logic.
The counter premise requires the same guidelines with opposing facts in which it is to be supported.
Each needs to be presented directly as a statement. Many premises on this website are inferred or presented as questions. The questions are often passive-aggressive in nature and merely infer the premise.
We now need to come up with premise so a counter premise can be formulated.
