[cirgue]

> The idea that people’s important opinions can be changed by some sort of silver bullet mega-argument is naive and immature, and frankly a great example of what’s wrong with discourse on the internet.

Even more naive and immature is the idea that conversations either lead to epiphany or do nothing. Comments are read several orders of magnitude more than they're responded to. You might not change that person's mind right now, but that kind of discourse is a part of how other people form or reinforce their opinions, and the OP might be more willing to change their mind in the future upon having other interactions and experiences that challenge their views, especially if someone has shown them a good-faith argument in the past.

[adjkant]

This is very important and much of the reason I debate online at all.

[huebnerob]

> Even more naive and immature is the idea that conversations either lead to epiphany or do nothing.

Ah yes, where ever did I get that idea when forming my opinion about a site titled change my view, where you literally get a whole separate level of fake internet points for giving people deltas, cough, epiphanies?

[mejari]

Except CMV itself doesn't claim that that "whole separate level of fake internet points" are epiphanies, or even full changes of position

>The definition of 'change' (verb) is "make or become different."

>Following on from the previous segment, we therefore believe that a change in view simply means a new perspective. Perhaps, in the example of literally looking at something, you've taken a step to the side; or a few steps; or you've moved around and now stand behind it. Maybe you haven't 'moved', but it looks slightly different to you now; in a new light.

>A change in view need not be a reversal. It can be tangential, or takes place on a new axis altogether.

https://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/wiki/index#wiki_what_i...