A facilitated discussion in the context of a game of Tug of Logic:
- instill norms of reason and reasoned conversation;
- exploits familiar norms of fair play as game-equivalent of normative logical;
- encourages collaboration in the spirit of fair and friendly competition;
- increases individual participation by making it easy to submit, vote on, and revise own reasons;
- builds logical sophistication and dialogue skill;
- brings precision to the wording;
- increases awareness of critical issues concerning logical validity (sufficiency of evidence), as well as standards and burdens of proof;
- encourages the expression and revision of opinion based on social feeback;
- discourages and sidelines unfocused and unhelpful contributions to the discussion;
- unifies participant motivation (reduces showboating; pandering, non-sequitors, etc.);
- avoids pedantry by gamifying logic.
Tug of Logic improves arguments through play, and develops players through friendly competition governed by the sporting values of betterment, fun, inclusiveness, respect, and fair play.
Contrary to the adversarial model of debate, in which only those who lose learn, in these truth games one wins only by changing one’s mind. Only reasonableness is rewarded, undercutting the idiosyncrasy of standard modes of public participatory philosophy.
