DIALOGUE & DEBATE

  A dozen articles on this website feature various forms of dialogue and debate. Some rely on it almost entirely; others include sections of debate as part of a larger article.

  Sometimes these articles are in a standard pro-con format; sometimes as a dialogue between fictional opponents; other times using a format of critical analysis of commonly held arguments. My professional training is heavily biased toward this kind of format for uncovering important and critical issues and I use it whenever I can.

  Two articles focus almost entirely on this dialogue and debate format. One is Wilderness Safety—A Debate. This article is a fictitious debate between ultralightists and traditionalists focusing on safety and survival. It includes in-depth discussions regarding the impacts of things like survival gear, gear failure, hypothermia, low-cut shoes and solo hiking (among others). A question central to this debate: How important are knowledge, experience and skill compared to the gear carried?

  Another article relying heavily on the debate format is Tents, Tarps or Bivy Sacks? This article starts with a critical analysis of eight commonly held arguments in favor of tarp camping. It then moves to a critical analysis of nine common arguments in favor of tent camping. It uses this format to tease out what are mostly different philosophies of camping and encourages the reader to acknowledge her or his own philosophy.

  Please contact me if you would like to see other website topics developed using this kind of format.​

Dialogue and Debate Articles