I came across this quote on Between Two Worlds, related to a post about the Emergent Movement. It struck me as significant enough all by itself.
My one followup thought has to do with the context of journalists. I truly wish politicians or public figures would ask questions in response to questions, especially in interviews. Specifically, ask the questioner how they define a term or understand a position they are criticizing before a response is given. It may be that you actually agree with the questioners definition, or can point out that they don't understand the position. Either way, this is good advice, not only for journalists and debaters, but also for individuals.
"The only polite thing to do is to ask them to state your position for you, the position they claim to be challenging. If they cannot do it satisfactorily, if they cannot repeat what you have said in their own words, you know that they do not understand, and you are entirely justified in ignoring their criticisms. They are irrelevant, as all criticism must be that is not based on understanding. When you find the rare person who shows that he understands what you are saying as well as you do, then you can delight in his agreement or be seriously disturbed by his dissent." (Mortimer Adler, How to Read a Book, pp. 144-145) [Bold emphasis from ahavafriend]
My one followup thought has to do with the context of journalists. I truly wish politicians or public figures would ask questions in response to questions, especially in interviews. Specifically, ask the questioner how they define a term or understand a position they are criticizing before a response is given. It may be that you actually agree with the questioners definition, or can point out that they don't understand the position. Either way, this is good advice, not only for journalists and debaters, but also for individuals.