Refuting An Opinion

Refuting means to deny something.  In a debate this means stating why someone's opinion is either not true or has no significance.  Basically, you are refuting to (1) state the opinion or facts are false or (2) to state the opinion is not important or has no relevance.

When refuting you want to stay focused on the issues.  Don't get caught in the trap of arguing the person.  When you start to argue the person, not the issues, you will turn the attention away from the issues and thus,  the debate becomes a believe me not him forum.  So stay focused on the objectives.

When refuting the accuracy of the opinion, you need to keep in mind the following:

• Is the opinion 100% untrue?
• Is the opinion not always true?
• Is the opinion not necessarily true?

By understanding which of the above catergories it fits into, you can better strategize how you will refute the opinion.

When refuting the significance of the opinion, you need to keep in mind the following:

• Is the opinion relevant?
• Is the opinion significant?
• Is the opinion easy to overcome/solve/substitute/replace/etc...?

Again, you should strategize how you will refute the opinion.