Tactic
Just the facts
Some slogans collapse when they meet a number, a date, or a text.
How
- Identify the factual claim inside the slogan.
- Ask where they studied that, then offer the actual data without swagger.
- One clean fact is better than five fuzzy ones.
Questions to keep in your pocket
- Where did you learn that?
- Have you looked at the manuscript evidence yourself?
In the wild
‘Religion has caused more bloodshed than anything else.’
The body count of the twentieth century is dominated by atheistic regimes. That does not make every atheist a killer—and it does mean the slogan is false.
Facts without empathy sound like a club. Use them to clear fog, not to score.