We can work it out?
The New York Times has an article about a recent surge of iPhone apps targeted at persons who want to debate the existence of God. Coming in both theist and atheist flavors, these apps allow users to carry readymade talking points and counterarguments in their pockets.
I share the fears of the cited scholars, as these apps seem to completely miss the value of debate in the first place. Ideally, a debate is a type of dialogue where the interlocutors challenge each other, hoping that they eventually come to the truth. But in order for this to happen, each debater must hold their initial beliefs with a certain epistemic modesty, a belief in the inherent fallibility of their positions. They must view the debate as a chance to modify their beliefs in an attempt to approximate the truth. But the goal of these apps is not to seek truth as much as beat the opponent. Instead of exploring doubt, these apps only serve to alleviate it. This is almost the definition of dogmatism. The iPhone talking points merely entrench readers into their respective positions; they impoverish, rather than aid the dialogue.
-Han
Photo by Flickr user Drpoulette used under a Creative Commons Attribution license.
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[...] Han linked to the NYT piece that discussed the strange increase in theist vs. atheist iPhone apps. The [...]