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> you must put yourself in the position of one who believes the opposite of what you do

This presuppose that I even have a position to begin with ...

I don't understand why anyone would adopt a position before the discussion/debate - the whole point of which is to decide what is the factually correct position.

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It seems that you fail to see the distinction between putting yourself in the position of one who believes and actually adopting the position. You can think of it as intellectual empathy. You being able to put yourself into someone else's shoes does not mean you become them.

>the whole point of which is to decide what is the factually correct position.

you presuppose there is a factually correct position to begin with. For the kinds of topics debate prepares you for, there often isn't.

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