Josh, Tim, and Rachel finish
their multi-part series on how to be an effective pro-life advocate
on social media.
Here are the tips covered in
this episode:
Practical Argumentation
Use
links sparingly. If your argument only works if they read a long
article you link to, you’re doing it wrong. Summarize the thesis of
what you’re linking to, and the link is to back you up or give them
more info if they want it.
Always cite neutral websites for
sources.
Know
logical fallacies and cognitive biases so that you can recognize
and respond to a logical fallacy (and not commit one
yourself!).
Stay
factual. If you’re not sure, admit it. Use disclaimers like “It’s
my understanding that…” instead of asserting ideas or facts you’re
not sure about.
Never
claim research or studies have shown anything unless you are
prepared to cite those sources.
Not
drowning them in text is a good goal to strive for unless you are
telling a story for something like a thought experiment. They are
more likely to actually read everything you are saying this way. If
they are drowning you in text with many trains of thought running
everywhere, perhaps remark that they are saying a lot at once and
ask them which they would like a response to first.
If
someone crushes you under a wall of ranty text and you want to
engage, feel free to pick one singular point and respond with only
a line or two asking about it. There’s no rule saying you have to
reply to every single point they make all at once.
About the Podcast
The discussion podcast of Equal Rights Institute, a national organization that trains pro-life advocates think clearly, reason honestly, and argue persuasively. If you’re looking for clear pro-life thinking, cutting-edge apologetics, and a fresh approach to abortion dialogue, you’ve come to the right place.