Elenchus

ἜΛΕΓΧΟΣ

eh-LENG-kus /əˈlɛŋkəs/. The cross-examination that catches a contradiction. Socrates made it a method. Paul brought it to this rock.

The RecordΗ·ΑΝΑΓΡΑΦΗACTA{ymyh yrbd

PersonPhilosopherSophistNetSoundnessSageStandingPoints per hourDebates
Stefan MolyneuxRaised a Christian who sang in a church choir, he is now a husband and father who runs the Free Domain philosophy show. Religio (Worldview) Atheist 15 Philosopher, 1 Sophist, 93% soundness +1.2 sage, Philosopher Credentials Master's degree in the history of philosophy Affiliations Free Domain (freedomain.com, youtube.com/freedomainradio) Argues by Universally Preferable Behavior (UPB) as the basis for ethics, examines the form of an argument before its content, looking for "self-detonating" statements Style interrupts to press questions, then apologises, asks again and again for technical terms to be put in plain language, speaks in long anecdotal monologues full of jokes and film references Points per hour 14.0 Philosopher, 0.9 Sophist Measured speaks in measured turns, asks often: 761 turns averaging 5.1 seconds, longest 29 seconds, across 1 debate Best at: clarification (5), explicit argument (4), concession (1) Caught at: non sequitur (1) 1 debate (Neos): Jay Dyer DEBATE! Vs Stefan Molyneux The whole record Stefan Molyneux151+1493%5Philosopher 94%14.0 / 0.91 debate Neos
Jay DyerAn Orthodox Christian author and streamer who debates philosophy and hosts open debates on his channel Religio (Worldview) Eastern Orthodox 459.8 Philosopher, 72 Sophist, 86% soundness +9.9 sage, Philosopher Credentials Took a graduate class devoted to Nietzsche, graduate student in philosophy, Studied philosophy as an undergraduate, and 1 more Affiliations Runs a rival server where he invites Calvinists to debate, Jay Dyer on YouTube and Rockfin; website Jay's Analysis, Jay's Analysis (jaysanalysis.com); hosts the fourth hour of Alex Jones every Friday, and 17 more Argues by Grounds the councils in the Holy Spirit's leading confirmed by the consensus of saints and scriptures, Argues the Transcendental Argument from preconditions of knowledge, Presuppositional: treats belief in the external world and logic as presuppositional categories, and argues by impossibility of the contrary, and 29 more Style Breaks in from outside the debate with strings of personal abuse, Refuses to let his opponent answer, saying he has heard it before, Returns repeatedly to one demand, that his opponent justify the "ought", and 56 more Points per hour 28.2 Philosopher, 4.4 Sophist Measured speaks in short bursts: 13784 turns averaging 4.3 seconds, longest 55 seconds, across 21 debates Best at: explicit argument (60), evidence (55), fallacy spotted (53) Caught at: misrepresentation (21), ad hominem (17), straw man (7) 21 debates (Athlētēs): HEATED DEBATE! “jesusandwhatnot” Vs Jay Dyer! His ‘Gotcha’ Fails LOL; Religion Debate: Islam vs Christianity; Jay Dyer vs 2 Freemason Christians The whole record Jay DyerWears the wreath459.872+387.886%117Philosopher 96%28.2 / 4.421 debates Athlētēs
Sam ShamounA Christian polemicist against Islam who used to write for Answering Islam and now blogs and streams as Shamoonian. Religio (Worldview) Christian (Trinitarian) 34.4 Philosopher, 1 Sophist, 97% soundness +1.4 sage, Philosopher Affiliations formerly answeringislam.info; runs answeringislamblog.wordpress.com and the Shamoonian YouTube channel Argues by argues from Muhammad's and the Quran's own claims, for example that Muhammad confirmed the earlier scriptures Style reels off long runs of Quran and hadith references by chapter and verse, taunts his opponents and repeats a closing refrain calling Muhammad a false prophet Points per hour 38.8 Philosopher, 1.1 Sophist Measured speaks in measured turns, asks often: 633 turns averaging 5.0 seconds, longest 32 seconds, across 1 debate Best at: direct answer (6), explicit argument (5), evidence (3) Caught at: dodge (1) 1 debate (Neos): Religion Debate: Islam vs Christianity The whole record Sam Shamoun34.41+33.497%6Philosopher 98%38.8 / 1.11 debate Neos
Chase GeyserChase Geyser is a former InfoWars host who joined the Freemasons as a sophomore at Belmont University in Nashville. Religio (Worldview) Protestant (Nondenominational) 29 Philosopher, 0 Sophist, 100% soundness +1.2 sage, Philosopher Credentials 32nd-degree Freemason, a Mason since 2011 Affiliations former InfoWars host, Observance Lodge No. 686, Nashville Argues by Personal testimony of membership plus a charge of mischaracterization, appeal to the founders and lived experience of…, Unstated, and 1 more Style admits when he doesn't follow and asks for the argument to be restated, argues by analogy to secular groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous Points per hour 59.5 Philosopher, 0.0 Sophist Measured speaks in short bursts: 465 turns averaging 3.8 seconds, longest 32 seconds, across 1 debate Best at: direct answer (9), concession (7), clarification (6) 1 debate (Neos): Jay Dyer vs 2 Freemason Christians The whole record Chase Geyser290+29100%5Philosopher 100%59.5 / 0.01 debate Neos
Gavin OrtlundSenior pastor of First Baptist Church of Ojai, California, author of "Why Protestantism Makes Sense" and the forthcoming "What It Means to Be Protestant," and host of the YouTube channel Truth Unites. Religio (Worldview) Protestant (Baptist) 20 Philosopher, 0 Sophist, 100% soundness +1.8 sage, Philosopher Credentials Did a postdoctoral fellowship at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Affiliations YouTube channel Truth Unites Argues by Measures later church claims against scripture and early-church historical evidence, treating councils as fallible Style answers in long uninterrupted paragraphs and apologises for their length, returns repeatedly to one demand: name an advocate of icon veneration before 500 AD, frames disagreement as a matter of conscience and praises his opponent before pressing him Points per hour 29.9 Philosopher, 0.0 Sophist Measured speaks in short bursts: 493 turns averaging 4.9 seconds, longest 36 seconds, across 1 debate Best at: evidence (4), direct answer (3), clarification (2) 1 debate (Neos): Protestant vs. Orthodox: Scripture and Tradition (Gavin Ortlund + Stephen De Young) The whole record Gavin Ortlund200+20100%8Philosopher 100%29.9 / 0.01 debate Neos
IslaIsla is a 25-year-old Miami woman who owns two businesses, one in finance and one in skincare. 16.8 Philosopher, 0 Sophist, 100% soundness +0.2 sage, Philosopher Argues by Empirical challenge: she demands sources, questions sampling and method, offers counterexamples, and draws distinctions Style keeps demanding the source of her opponent's statistics, answers with rapid incredulous questions and refuses to concede Points per hour 77.5 Philosopher, 0.0 Sophist Measured speaks in short bursts, asks often: 286 turns averaging 2.7 seconds, longest 26 seconds, across 1 debate Best at: clarification (2), explicit argument (2), antistrephon (1) 1 debate (Neos): HEATED Debate w/ Feminists. Wage Gap, Pro Choice ft. @MikeRashidOfficial The whole record Isla16.80+16.8100%1Philosopher 100%77.5 / 0.01 debate Neos
Dean WithersDean Withers is a debater who argued that knowledge is possible without God, treated the laws of logic as Platonic objects, left the call, then came back offering $1,000 if Cooley could beat one of his own debaters. Religio (Worldview) Atheist 15 Philosopher, 0 Sophist, 100% soundness +0.5 sage, Philosopher Argues by phenomenal conservatist about justification Style keeps protesting interruptions and asking for time to finish, calls his opponent's moves "blunders" and answers in dense technical vocabulary Points per hour 87.1 Philosopher, 0.0 Sophist Measured speaks in short bursts, asks often: 204 turns averaging 3.0 seconds, longest 23 seconds, across 1 debate Best at: direct answer (4), explicit argument (4), fallacy spotted (3) 1 debate (Neos): @deanwithrs Gets DESTROYED In Heated Debate On God Then RUNS The whole record Dean Withers150+15100%2Philosopher 100%87.1 / 0.01 debate Neos
Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: To the unknown god. What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. Paul, on the Areopagus. Acts 17:22–23

Palaismata (kill shots)

The throws that ended an exchange: an argument turned, a question forced, a point settled, each one upheld by the bench as decisive.

1 of 4

“… if the son is not equal to the father because he doesn't spirate, then the spirit has to also spirate. But nobody teaches the the spirit spirates or generates a person. So by your own argument, you subordinated the spirit…”

— Jay DyerantistrephonThe Catholicism or Orthodoxy DEBATE: Tim… at 1:32:38

1 of 4

“But you say you know how females think though. You did say that.”

— KimberlyperitropeHEATED Debate w/ Feminists. Wage Gap, Pro… at 2:59:03

1 of 4

“Same thing but flips for your end. No offense. Whatever you guys have is invisible.”

— IslaperitropeHEATED Debate w/ Feminists. Wage Gap, Pro… at 2:19:05

Skōmmata (zingers)

The most quotable gibes, and each one scored on the Sophist ledger. Sharp, and beside the point.

1 of 4

“I believe that God has confirmed and blessed the choice of those books.”

— Pastor Pbegging the questionJay Dyer vs Pastor P Debate Orthodoxy vs… at 44:31

1 of 4

“That's you you got the mindset of a woman. Women believe in intuition.”

— Cooleyad hominem@deanwithrs Gets DESTROYED In Heated Debate… at 23:32

1 of 4

“That's a p and also not p. You just contradicted yourself. That's what I said. We just didn't understand what I No. I did understand what you just said. You you just said that the laws of logic is conceptual.”

— Cooleymisrepresentation@deanwithrs Gets DESTROYED In Heated Debate… at 19:12

Stoa of fallacies (hall of fallacies)

Every fallacy the referee has caught across all debates, ranked by how often it turns up, with the worst example of each.

misrepresentation

1 of 60

“Jay refuses to condemn Thomas Aquinas as a pedophile. That's shocking. I hope all the Christian listeners, especially the Protestants listening, note that these heretics, Sam and Jay, are down with pedophilia.” — Daniel Haqiqatjou
Religion Debate: Islam vs Christianity, watch at 2:40:29. All 60 instances

ad hominem

1 of 49

“I don't call you, like, a basement dwelling retard that looks like you smell bad and you haven't taken a shower in a month. ... If you're gonna throw me your TV, you should take a shower, retard.” — Austin Peterson
Debate MELTDOWN: Worst Opponent Yet: Austin…, watch at 1:13:28. All 49 instances

straw man

1 of 24

“I don't care about your definition of power.” — Jake the Muslim Metaphysician
HEATED DEBATE: Jay Dyer Vs Jake Muslim…, watch at 1:27:50. All 24 instances

dodge

1 of 17

“No. I don't. Because I think that shit's boring, bro.” — Austin Peterson
Debate MELTDOWN: Worst Opponent Yet: Austin…, watch at 57:36. All 17 instances

self-contradiction

1 of 16

“I can't [can] be arbitrary when I wanna be arbitrary. I can't [can do] whatever the fuck. ... It's not a it's not a hard debate format, so I can do whatever I want.” — Austin Peterson
Debate MELTDOWN: Worst Opponent Yet: Austin…, watch at 1:00:26. All 16 instances

begging the question

1 of 14

“I believe that God has confirmed and blessed the choice of those books.” — Pastor P
Jay Dyer vs Pastor P Debate Orthodoxy vs…, watch at 44:31. All 14 instances

hasty generalisation

1 of 11

“… every Protestant does this gnostic anti matter [anti-material] reading into these texts. I know I used to be a Protestant.” — Jay Dyer
FULL SAVAGE DEBATE: Jay Dyer Vs Indiana…, watch at 33:47. All 11 instances

non sequitur

1 of 10

“That's not my position. When did I ever say that I'm an empiricist? Well, if you're a nominalist, you're an empiricist.” — Jay Dyer
HEATED DEBATE: Jay Dyer Vs Jake Muslim…, watch at 1:15:41. All 10 instances

Recently judged All the agōnes

Bill: So-crates. The only true wisdom consists in knowing that you know nothing.
Ted: That's us, dude.
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, 1989