Over at the Evangelical Outpost, Joe Carter has a great post on what not to do when arguing. His basic point is this: think of the people that you trust for advice or opinions on various topics. Now think of the people you know who use hyperbole whenever they speak. The people you thought of in the first group are not the people you thought of in the second group, right?

A classic example of this is when I hear people say things such as "George W. is the worst president ever," or, "Intelligent Design is just Creationism and Pseudoscience." Now, has this person really looked at the history of the presidency enough to make a judgment like that? Have they really gave an honest look at ID theorist's work? Probably not. But they believe what they are saying is true and they will argue with you about it. Mr. Carter's advice? Avoid this type of "stupid" person, as engaging in an argument will get you nowhere, regardless of how rhetorically skilled you are or how valid your points are. He also points out that the skill set that it would take to research and find the answers to those questions is the same type of skill set that would make you smart enough not to employ hyperbolic rhetoric. Think about that for a second...

People often claim to be open-minded, and I have encountered this many times in the blogosphere, but rarely are. How can you tell? By their poor use of rhetoric. I see it over and over in blogging and in "real" life, especially in classroom settings. What is usually the give-away that a person is in fact close-minded? Constant use of hyperbole in their language, plus a good dose of not trying to understand what the other person is saying. In most arguments that I have been in at Universities or with those with differing views have been filled with poor rhetoric. (From my side of the argument also.) It is definitely something that everyone should work on, as it makes for more decent dialogue and leads to a better understanding of the opposition's position, and your own position as well. (I will note that here on blogstream I have seen less close-mindedness than I have anywhere else. Let's keep it that way.)