Rules of engagement

1. 1. Argue against the position, never against the person.

   Attack the claim, not the person who holds it. A reply that goes after someone's character instead of their argument has already lost the argument.

2. 2. State the strongest version of the other side before you take it apart.

   Answering the weakest version of an opposing view is easy and convinces no one who actually holds it. Answering the strongest version is the whole point.

3. 3. Rate arguments by whether they moved you, not by whether you already agreed.

   A rating is not a vote for your side. It is an honest answer to one question: did this argument change how you see the question, even slightly.

4. 4. No doxxing, no threats, nothing illegal, nothing defamatory about a real person or organisation.

   Debate the idea. Do not publish someone's private details, threaten them, or make false claims of fact about a real person or organisation.

5. 5. Sources support an argument; they never settle a subjective question.

   A source is evidence that backs up a point someone is making, not a verdict on the debate itself. These are subjective questions by design: no source ends one.

6. 6. Reported content is reviewed by a moderator, who can remove it. Repeat offenders lose the ability to write.

   Anyone can report an argument, a source, a debate or a user. A moderator looks at every open report and can remove what breaks these rules. Removal is recorded, and a pattern of removals costs an account its ability to post.

There is no winning position here. The bar shows how opinion is distributed, and the ranking shows which arguments move people who disagree with them.