I wrote to Alan: > > JM: > You find yourself in rather odd company now, Alan. If you want to jump on > this bandwagon, be my guest. You two deserve each other. >
And Minoru responded: > MM: > I appreciate Alan's opinion because I feel that he is revealing his mind > based on his own thinking. > He and I have a rather long history of debating, sometimes harshly, but > always on a par basis. > I believe we can get to know each other through debates. If one always refer > to a third party's comments or theories, I quickly lose interests in > debating. > And I think if one does not learn how to shift carefully through what facts and analysis available, in books, the media and so on, to come up with a good sense of what is true or not, one can never understand anything about the real world. And that requires developing discrimination and sound judgment about what is true or not, and not just believing any curious notion that one randomly happens across or that pops into one's head. And for me, citing one's sources is not a matter of showing off, but rather showing the other parties in a debate where one is getting one's information, and is also a way of acknowledging one's intellectual debts. And the latter is actually a form of modesty, and an acknowledgement that one does not know everything or pretend to, but is at least making an effort to learn something by reading an expert opinion. And I agree with what John G. said about facts and logic as well. We can debate which facts are true. We can debate the interpretation of the facts that we agree are true. But what we cannot do is have one side presenting facts and argument, and the other making the kinds of outlandish charges that we have seen here (dupes of terrorist propaganda, inventing of facts) while avoiding discussion of the facts, or constantly shifting the grounds of the debate, or other diversionary tactics. That is not conducive to a serious and constructive debate. And I will say to you as well, Minoru, if you do not like the ridicule being heaped on you, then raise the quality of your game here. Otherwise it will continue. John M. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Persons posting messages to not_honyaku assume all responsibility for their messages. The list owner does not review messages prior to posting, and accepts no responsibility for the content of messages posted. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
