name: inverse layout: true class: center, middle, inverse --- template: inverse # Yes/No Debate Understand Your Disagreement .footnote[[yesnodebate.org](https://yesnodebate.org/)] --- layout: false ## Outline 1. The Problem - Who is this for? - Aumann's agreement theorem 1. The Rules - An example run - Practical tipps 1. The Debate - Find your belief(s) - Debate in pairs 1. The Feedback - Yours - Insights from previous debates - Questions 1. Another debate (for who's up to it) Estimated duration: 60 min --- ## Intro - Georg Jähnig - Less Wrong Berlin - now in Prague - Yes/No Debate - since 2018 - live workshops at - LW Berlin - European Less Wrong Community Weekend - online debates at [reddit.com/r/YesNoDebate](https://reddit.com/r/YesNoDebate) --- class: center, middle, inverse ## The Problem --- ### Sounds familiar? Discussing for many hours but - nobody changed their mind - nobody learned anything new -- Often this happens because - too few questions are asked - too few questions are answered -- A disagreement has many facets - we like to talk about facets that **convinced us** - these are not necessarily the facets that our counterpart **cares about** ➡️ cross purposes ??? Under my observation, often this happens... --- ### Examples - Veganism: - "Animal welfare!" - "How can I get my proteins & amino acids?" -- - UBI (Basic Income) - "Imagine all the freedom!" - "How can this be financed?" ??? Dismissing the counterpart's cruxes or shaming: - does not convice them --- ### How to solve? #### General - force asking questions - force answering questions -- #### Concrete - at every turn, a question must be asked - Yes/No questions with 5 possible answers - easy to check whether it was answered or not --- ### When to use & when not Yes/No debate works when: - talking with 1 other person - it's clear what you disagree about - you both believe - there is an objective truth about the belief - that can be found using correct reasoning and maximum information - both are willing to change their mind, at least partly - where **Scout Mindset** is allowed -- Works (probably) not at: - (public) debates where it - is not about information exchange between participants - but about representation of your belief - and you may not change your mind (in public) - where **Soldier Mindset** is expected --- ### Aumann's agreement theorem If you know what I know & we're both rational, we must agree. -- Same information + Same reasoning = Same conclusions -- #### Belief tree ```text A: Many people die from Covid ➡️ B: Covid is dangerous ↘️ C: Few people die from the vaccination ➡️ D: The vaccination is safe ➡️ E: I take the vaccination ``` -- #### What to ask about? 1. Do you agree with A? 1. Do you agree that from A follows B? 1. Do you agree with C? 1. Do you agree that from C follows D? 1. Do you agree that from B & D follows E? --- layout: true class: center, middle, inverse --- ## The Rules --- layout: false name: rules  -- template: rules - Bert: "People should be allowed to carry guns in public." ---  - Ana: "Should people be allowed to carry rifles?" - Bert: "Yes." ---  - Ana: "Should people be allowed to carry hand grenades?" - Bert: "No." ---  - Bert: "Should people be allowed to carry knives?" - Ana: "Depends. Yes for small knives (maybe blades of 10cm). No for long blades." ---  - Bert: "So people shall not carry hand grenades, while the police have them?" - Ana: "False premise: The police do not have hand grenades." ---  - Ana: "Do more people die from guns than from drugs?" - Bert: "I don't know." --- template: rules Questions about the rules? --- layout: true class: center, middle, inverse --- ## The Debate --- layout: false ### Find your belief(s) Do you believe sth. that many people here (likely) don't? - add an elaboration in 2-3 sentences - ideally with - belief tree - falsification criteria (what would change my mind?) #### Example: -- > There should be no voting age. - Age should not be a reason to stop someone from voting. - In practice e.g.: - everybody can register to vote - no matter how old they are. ??? Inspiration: Lists of unpopular ideas https://juliagalef.com/2017/08/23/unpopular-ideas-about-social-norms/ https://juliagalef.com/2017/08/23/unpopular-ideas-about-political-and-economic-systems/ https://juliagalef.com/2017/09/21/unpopular-ideas-about-children/ https://juliagalef.com/2017/09/05/unpopular-ideas-about-crime-and-punishment/ --- ### Get matched and find a belief to debate on - breakout sessions of 2 - 15 mins - max. 5 minutes to find your belief - you don't need to strongly disagree - curiosity & slight disagreement is enough - min. 10 minutes to debate - come back for feedback round --- class: center, middle, inverse ## The Feedback --- ### Your Feedback - How was it? - Could you understand your counterpart's belief? - Did you update your belief? --- ### Insights from previous debates - Asking is harder than answering - crafting a question forces you to realize what actually makes you believe what you think: - What are the relevant facts for you? - In what way do they lead to your belief? - Put yourself into your partner’s mind - remember what they have answered before - come up with a reasonable follow-up question. - in spoken debates: Asking is harder than in written ones - because: more time --- ### Insights from previous debates > "It was surprisingly good to have a focal point to respond to. Even if they posted a wall of text explaining their position, the question was the only thing I felt required to address, so it took less mental energy to debate than it would have taken in a different format." – debater from [reddit.com/r/YesNoDebate](https://reddit.com/r/YesNoDebate) --- ### Yes/No Debate more - [reddit.com/r/YesNoDebate](https://reddit.com/r/YesNoDebate) - [twitter.com/YesNoDebate](https://twitter.com/YesNoDebate) - [yesnodebate.org](https://yesnodebate.org) incl. Newsletter - my workshop for your audience