Estimated reading time: 8 minutes. Discrimination? Microaggression? Propaganda? These are common labels against pro-lifers. Anyone arguing for the rights of the unborn can expect to be characterized as enemies of women, of liberty, and of human rights. Sometimes we can learn from these accusations and pick better terms or listen … Read More
Pay Attention to Who Should NOT Be in a Given Conversation
If you are a part of a dialogue-oriented outreach, you should be paying attention to who should be in a given conversation, and who should not be. Estimated reading time: 16 minutes. It was our second day of outreach at Davidson College and after having had several conversations, a lull … 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
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
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
How Your Brain Tricks You into Thinking the Other Side Is Stupid
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes. Sometimes your brain plays tricks on you. For instance, when you look at a stick in the water, it looks bent, even though it isn’t. Or, when you’re driving on a hot day, it looks like there is water on the road at the horizon, … Read More
How to Turn the Tables on Four Pro-Choice Arguments
Imagine you and a good friend decide to play a game of chess. As you sit down, your friend takes your queen off the board and puts it back in the box with no explanation. You say, “Uh, what are you doing?” Your friend replies, completely unironically, “Only I’m allowed … Read More
Sometimes It’s Not about the Argument
There’s a stereotypical story of married couples that you’re probably familiar with. The wife has had a bad day, so she goes to her husband to tell him about it. Her husband, being wired to fix problems, shows his love to his wife by offering solutions. The wife gets frustrated. … Read More
Dialogue Tip: Tell Them That They Can’t Offend You
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 want to be any of those things. … Read More