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Some would say why even bother debating with them ?
..Let them go, let them set up their own website, to recruit those who seem to be unwilling to pursue a thorough understanding of mainstream's explanations for physical phenomena.
But it is just not that simple. Whole areas of Science have been hijacked and are now even beyond debate on certain forums, (such as this one). Climatology/Atmospheric Physics and Genetically Modified Crops/Bio-Engineering, are two classic examples.
Are we to ignore those who give up on the mainstream science process, and take their distorted views directly into the public arena for tacit consensus approval … thereby leaving mainstream science with the image of being a 'grand conspiracy' ?
I could never bring myself to call someone an 'ignorant fool' during such a debate as unfortunately, no-one has ever appointed me as a 'Judge' of others. I might call somebody on exhibiting 'silly', maybe even 'foolish' behaviours, as these can be modified (if so desired), by the protagonist. This is not as absolute as branding someone as a 'fool', from which there is seemingly never any escape, and implies that the accuser is above ever exhibiting this characteristic (which is highly unlikely).
As far as understanding debating 'logical fallacies' and how to form a rational argument … this might work if there is a semblance of rationality behind BOTH debaters AND there are 'rules' which guide the debate. Unfortunately, I'm starting to feel that the instances where all of these are present, is a rarity, tending towards the extreme.
Cheers
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