montana Wrote:Playing on words to prove an argument is cognitive dissonance, "which if my memory serves" you have called him out on. It was not meant as an insult to Stan at all since I have used cognitive dissonance many times without realizing it at the time. I don't like to lose an argument anymore than the next guy but Stan has cut me down more than once. Stan knows exactly what I think of him and is one of the reasons I enjoy debating him. Stan loves to mix it up with people and isn't afraid of the heat. He is definitely a fighter when it comes to the battle of the wits. How others feel or think about him are their opinions, not mine.
MT:
Have not seen you go after Stan but have seen others, which is why I brought it up.
Cognitive Dissonance is a old psychological theory that attempts to explain the reason why people do things that are contradictory to their beliefs. Basically it deals with how a person copes with the stresses induced by dealing with two contradictory thoughts / feelings / emotions. People strive for psychological balance and when ever there is conflict, stress occurs. So, they strive to rationalize an action or thought so that the stress disappears. The biggest CD example is people who continue to smoke cigarettes, knowing full well just how dangerous they are to their health. It has been a while since I had to refer to the theory but not once did I ever see it used in context of word usage in a debate. It has always been used in terms of psychological balance and I am not even sure if it is used anymore.
I call Stan out periodically when he refuses to make a clear statement of his intent or beliefs when it comes to the 2A. To me, if you are to argue a point, you better come out and say exactly what you believe or don't believe. Stan has made his beliefs clear about gun ownership. He believes we should be able to own any firearm we want. I don't think he believes the 2A gives an absolute right for anyone to own a firearm but am not positive and please, this time I take the 'don't ask, don't tell' road. The thread would last about fifteen minutes before I would have to lock it.
LR55