Proposed Rules for Debates

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Forum Guidelines

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1. Please follow all moderator requests. Concerns about moderation should be taken to the Report Discussion Problems Here thread.
2. Please stay on topic for a thread. Open a new thread for new topics.
3. When introducing a new topic, please keep the message narrowly focused. Do not include more than a few points.
4. Points should be supported with evidence and reasoned argumentation.
5. Address rebuttals through the introduction of additional evidence or by enlarging upon the argument. Do not repeat previous points without further elaboration. Avoid bare assertions.
6. Bare links with no supporting discussion should be avoided. Make the argument in your own words and use links as supporting references.
7. Avoid lengthy cut-n-pastes. Introduce the point in your own words and provide a link to your source as a reference. If your source is not on-line you may contact the Site Administrator to have it made available on-line.
8. Never include material not your own without attribution to the original source.
9. Avoid any form of misrepresentation.
10. Do not participate as more than one ID. You may change your user ID by going to your Profile Page and creating a new alias.
11. The sincerely held beliefs of other members deserve your respect. Please keep discussion civil. Argue the position, not the person.

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Usually, in a well-conducted debate, speakers are either emotionally uncommitted or can preserve sufficient detachment to maintain a coolly academic approach.
-- Encyclopedia Britannica, on debate
Enforcement

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The deletion of posts is not practiced here, and editing of posts is practiced only rarely. The exception is spam, which is usually either edited or deleted.
Moderators will try to be helpful, but the moderator staff is small and they do not have the time to coach members toward proper participation. Persistent violations can result in restricted permissions or even suspensions that can range from hours to days to permanent. Permanent suspensions are relatively rare.

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