Intellectual confidence.

Forums: Debate, Ayn Rand, Intellectualism, Talking
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Apologies in advance because I've made a few threads like this.

Is it possible to gain 'intellectual confidence' as in, get better at explaining your arguments... making them more concise, using better language?

I think about when I joined a2k, I was 16. I used to be shot down all the time for making irrational points, but then you learn how to debate and structure arguments logically and it becomes a lot easier.
Because I have very few people to debate with outside the cyber world, and don't have 'intellectual' parents, I find it quite a pressure to put my points across, and I always walk away from a conversation wishing I'd said things differently.

My tutor today said I need to find like minded people I can debate with. I got the feeling he meant he felt it would help me improve my ability to discuss my ideas.
I'd never thought that I could 'get better' at this kind of thing. I just thought it's either a case of being articulate or not, and that I'm not as articulate as I would like to be.
Maybe it is just because I have no intellectual confidence.
pq x

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@The Pentacle Queen,

practice helps with most anything, this included. You should surround yourself with smart people and discuss/argue with them often. Not only will you get better are articulating your thoughts, but your thoughts will become much more organized, you will learn from other people, and you will become more persuasive.

Confidence comes from throwing it all out there and succeeding. It comes from age, and from iron clad proof that you are good at what you do.

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@The Pentacle Queen,

It's telling that you say you don't have intellectual parents PQ...how does that affect your quest for intellectual confidence?

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@The Pentacle Queen,

intellectual confidence can get you into big trouble.

1. Because it may lead you to defend something you can't defend and a refusal to except the truth coming from your intellectual advisary. In other words you hold on to your pride......and maintain your ignorance.

One way to get better smarter and become a better intellectual for sure is to go into these forums and get your ass kicked. It is very painfull and you will get very angry but in the end when you are going to sleep at night you will say to yourself; "DAMN IT THEY ARE RIGHT!" and in the morning you will wake up smarter.

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@panzade,

Quote:

It's telling that you say you don't have intellectual parents PQ...how does that affect your quest for intellectual confidence?

Well, what I mean is... I never knew anything about politics, sociology or culture before I left home. Then I had to learn it mega-fast and looked stupid for a while in the process.
My parents are lovely. It's just all they talk about is flowers or the politics of the cul-de-sac, or church.
It meant I grew up really naive.

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@Amigo,

Quote:

intellectual confidence can get you into big trouble.

1. Because it may lead you to defend something you can't defend and a refusal to except the truth coming from your intellectual advisary. In other words you hold on to your pride......and maintain your ignorance.

One way to get better smarter and become a better intellectual for sure is to go into these forums and get your ass kicked. It is very painfull and you will get very angry but in the end when you are going to sleep at night you will say to yourself; "DAMN IT THEY ARE RIGHT!" and in the morning you will wake up smarter.

I agree. I'm not looking for intellectual arrogance.
Observation is strength. Judgment is weakness.
I just want to be able to debate without getting 'jumpy' or nervous and loosing my eloquence.

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@The Pentacle Queen,

Quote:

I just want to be able to debate without getting 'jumpy' or nervous and loosing my eloquence.

Impossible! No pain no gain.

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@The Pentacle Queen,

Of course it is possible to get better, not only at explaining your arguments and beliefs, but, even more importantly, being able to analyse them yourself and determine the logical and empirical flaws.

You have noticed yourself that you are already doing better at it.

If you can attract folk to your threads that don't just yell ar each other, A2k can be a great place to develop your abilities.

I don't know what you are studying, but it might also be possible to find fora specifically about the things you are studying, where you might find more people with expertise to discuss with, too.

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@The Pentacle Queen,

Quote:

Is it possible to gain 'intellectual confidence' as in, get better at explaining your arguments... making them more concise, using better language?

Without question, an unqualified yes.

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@dlowan,

Maybe I should join a debate society or something. If just to get some practice in.

A2K is amazing for debate, but I can spend ages on my posts if I like... actual debate is much more fast paced.

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Another thing that helps very, very much is to look up EVERY word you don't fully understand the meaning of.

Read the definition 3 or 4 times.

Look up the words in the definition of the word you are looking up till the word is naturally understood to you. Keep a big fat dictionary close. Pretty soon you will find you are reading the dictionary more then anything else.

Often times the meaning of a single word is enough food for thought for an hour. Words are concepts compressed. If you understand the word you can contemplate the concept.

Try it with a big intellectual word.

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Yeah, one a them really big words . . . like hubris . . . all six letters of it . . .

Then try meme . . . only four letters, but so popular it is one of the most overworked words in political discussions today . . .

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I should have made this clear in my 1st post.
When working on my own, I can express myself well, I think I do so on here mostly.
It's just when faced with a real life debate I don't feel as if I come across as well as I should. Maybe that's why I find essays my freedom and others on my course find them a constraint.
Actually, I think this extends to confrontation in general. That has a lot in common with debate.

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@The Pentacle Queen,

Not that I have mastered this, older as I am, but people will listen if you speak fairly quietly and smartly.. If they don't, it is probably booze time.

From my observation, you're fine, if a little pulled to solve philosophy of life in a few months.

Be at peace with yourself, PQ.

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@ossobuco,

Also, how old are your parents? From my point of view, they are probably young and still learning, if they have any interest in learning. Learning comes in layers.

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I just had to look up Hubris and meme.

Are these the words were flooging the life out of this month?

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@Amigo,

Hubris is an old, old whore, and still gives good service.

Meme is the flavor of the month whore.

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@Amigo,

hubris is an olden word, and meme is - to me, don't quote me, new.

The word that got me, a while back, was 'meta'.

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I wanted to check before i said it as though from authority, but i have confirmed my recollection. Hubris is a term invented by the Greeks in their classical age (and it is perhaps even older than that), so it's been in use for more than 2500 years. Our use of it is derivative, in that we use it broadly expanded from the narrow sense it had in Greek drama.

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@The Pentacle Queen,

It is.

Erm...aren't your tutorials helping with this?

Are you studying where you can hang out a bit? Often the best and funnest debates happen when groups of students get together over coffee or drinks and have at it.

Are there subject clubs where you study? They can be great fun and you certainly learn to think and speak fast.

Debate clubs are fun...sounds good to me.

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Intellectual confidence.

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