DISCOURSE MATRIX
Despite its name, the Anti-Debate is not anti-debate!
On the contrary, this broader aim of this project is to better leverage humanity’s cornucopia of discourse practices — including classic debate. The question isn’t: which type of discourse is best? But instead: under what circumstances is which type of discourse most useful?
In that spirit, the Anti-Debate proposes a Discourse Matrix — a small ‘toolbox’ of discourse practices, with a rough sense of when to use which one. For example, an Oxford debate may work best when the issue has clear sides and the goal is to choose between them, whereas an Anti-Debate may work best when previous debates on the issue haven't been generative and the goal is a more comprehensive view.
On the contrary, this broader aim of this project is to better leverage humanity’s cornucopia of discourse practices — including classic debate. The question isn’t: which type of discourse is best? But instead: under what circumstances is which type of discourse most useful?
In that spirit, the Anti-Debate proposes a Discourse Matrix — a small ‘toolbox’ of discourse practices, with a rough sense of when to use which one. For example, an Oxford debate may work best when the issue has clear sides and the goal is to choose between them, whereas an Anti-Debate may work best when previous debates on the issue haven't been generative and the goal is a more comprehensive view.
Click on the image to view the full Discourse Matrix.
The practices in the Discourse Matrix are divided into 3 categories: debate, dialogue, and dialectic. For reference, here’s a slightly longer selection of discourse practices — the practices included in the matrix are in teal:
Naturally, the Discourse Matrix doesn’t include all good-faith discourse practices. Much is left out, which is what makes the matrix useful. The map is not the territory. That said, this is a first draft and suggestions are welcome.
May the Discourse Matrix help you choose the right tool for the job, and avail you of our rich dialogic inheritance.
- DEBATE: Competitive exchange of opposing viewpoints
- Political Debate
- Oxford Debate
- Influencer Debate
- Tibetan Buddhist Debate
- DIALOGUE: Sharing ideas to foster understanding and connection
- DIALECTIC: Collaborative inquiry for deeper truth and synthesis
- Dialogos
- Bohmian Dialogue
- Perspectiva’s Antidebate
- Synthesis Media’s Anti-Debate
- Socratic Dialogue
Naturally, the Discourse Matrix doesn’t include all good-faith discourse practices. Much is left out, which is what makes the matrix useful. The map is not the territory. That said, this is a first draft and suggestions are welcome.
May the Discourse Matrix help you choose the right tool for the job, and avail you of our rich dialogic inheritance.
The Anti-Debate by Stephanie Lepp is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
