I regularly hear people complain about Virtue-Signaling, but I haven’t yet found a balanced attempt to clarify what it is and what it isn’t. Mostly I’ve noticed that people are quick to accuse people outside of their own political tribes of doing it. Without any definitions, how is a fair-minded … Read More
PODCAST: Is Abortion Justified by an Inalienable Right to Sex?
[youtube id=”6mdjVNgPqLU”] Download Audio MP3 | 00:10:06 This is a continuation of my previous post “Four Practical Dialogue Tips from My Conversation with Brent.” That piece was focused on specific dialogue strategies I used in that conversation. This one is focused on a major aspect of Brent’s view that we … Read More
PODCAST: Four Practical Dialogue Tips from My Conversation with Brent
[youtube id=”h_AlHuNA0hw”] Download Audio MP3 | 00:14:50 A couple years ago, I had a conversation with a student that I call Brent. This conversation became very useful as a teaching tool. He was a very interesting person and we had a long conversation that allowed us to cover a lot … Read More
Circumventing Philosophy Hell
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes. Imagine you’re out hiking with a friend in the beautiful (and fictional) country of Florin, as depicted in The Princess Bride. You’re both clueless tourists but you’ve casually looked at some maps and you think you can handle yourselves. As you’re walking by a ravine, … Read More
Don’t Dialogue Like Hamilton OR Aaron Burr
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes. The character of Aaron Burr in Hamilton: An American Musical stands in stark contrast to the title character. Alexander Hamilton is brash, aggressive, tactless, and always reaches for what he wants, while Aaron Burr is polite, careful, and hesitant. When he initially meets Hamilton, Burr … Read More
PODCAST: Dialogue Tip: Tell Them That They Can’t Offend You
[youtube id=”yrs32b86TXs”] Download Audio MP3 | 00:04:50 Millennials are terrified of offending people. They are surrounded by a world of trigger warnings and microaggressions. They worry that they’ll be shouted down if they say something that could be perceived as racist, sexist, homophobic, or somehow bigoted. They also really don’t … Read More
PODCAST: The Anonymous Pro-Life Volunteer Who Changed My Life
[youtube id=”fexWI5Fy3x8″] Download Audio MP3 | 00:03:26 This is a short story about an early pro-life experience I had. When I shared it in a podcast, others thought it was a great story, so I decided to write this piece. Related Links: Click here to share the original article. Click … Read More
Building Rapport with a Benevolent Dictator
Employ this dialogue tactic to build rapport with a pro-choice person and increase the likelihood that your conversation about abortion will be successful. Estimated reading time: 4 minutes. Many conversations about abortion succeed or fail because of your rapport, or lack thereof, with the pro-choice person. Even a perfectly articulated … Read More
PODCAST: Sometimes It’s Not about the Argument
[youtube id=”2wVaiFpogJY”] Download Audio MP3 | 00:11:33 In my early pro-life apologetics days I tended to think that changing someone’s mind about abortion was primarily about making good arguments, being clear, being fast on your feet, and maybe having a little bit of relational skill. The more that I actually … Read More
Four Practical Tips for Responding to the Burning Fertility Clinic
A pro-choice argument in the form of a series of arrogant tweets recently went viral. You would think that with all that bravado, there would have been something new or interesting, but, no, it was just the same argument that has been around for decades. Disappointing as the argument was, … Read More