The Civil Debater’s Creed

I am shamelessly stealing this from Dean’s World to share with all of you. 

I may disagree with you, but I do so starting with the presumption that your position is sincere and well thought out.

I recognize that your perspective is different than mine. You know things that I don’t, I know things that you don’t, and there are bits of evidence that both of us have seen which we’ve interpretted differentely. And none of this necessarily implies that you are blind or ignorant, or that I am.

I recognize that you and I may live under very different moral codes, but despite that we may both be moral and decent people.

I try to listen to what you’re actually saying, and keep that seperate from different claims that other people have made which your claims remind me of.

And at all times, I think it possible (if perhaps unlikely) that I am the one who is mistaken.