--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When they can't win a debate (can they…" description: "\"When they can't win a debate (can they ever?), leftists deploy what the late novelist/philosopher Ayn Rand called the argument from intimidation. Inste..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/don-feder-25279_argument_when-they-can-t-win-a-debate-can-they-ev_2982080.jpg" --- # When they can't win a debate (can they ever?), leftists… ![“When they can't win a debate (can they ever?), leftists deploy what the late novelist/philosopher Ayn Rand called the argument from intimidation. Instead of trying to refute the other side, they label their opponents' position evil, attribute sinister motives to its adherents, and charge that its…” quote by Don Feder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/don-feder-25279_argument_when-they-can-t-win-a-debate-can-they-ev_2982080.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/don-feder-25279_argument_when-they-can-t-win-a-debate-can-they-ev_2982080.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/don-feder-25279_argument_when-they-can-t-win-a-debate-can-they-ev_2982080.jpg) > “When they can't win a debate (can they ever?), leftists deploy what the late novelist/philosopher Ayn Rand called the argument from intimidation. Instead of trying to refute the other side, they label their opponents' position evil, attribute sinister motives to its adherents, and charge that its proponents are encouraging violence.” [Don Feder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-feder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Labeling opponents as evil and attributing sinister motives replaces rational debate with intimidation, stifling constructive discourse. **In simple terms:** Intimidation blocks rational debate. Key Takeaway Promote reasoned dialogue. Themes politics argumentation ethics Mood critical concerned Type analytical political When to use this quote - political debates - online forums - public policy discussions Key Concepts Rhetoric cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - How can we identify intimidation tactics? - What strategies foster respectful disagreement? A Different Perspective Some may view labeling as necessary for moral clarity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) [Debate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debate/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Labels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labels/) [Leftists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leftists/) [Motive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motive/) [Novelists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novelists/) [Philosopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosopher/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) [Winning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning/) ## Related quotes > [The Argument from Intimidation is a confession of intellectual impotence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/the-argument-from-intimidation-is-a-confession-of-intellectual/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [What makes the Southern Poverty Law Center particularly odious is its habit of taking legitimate conservatives and jumbling them with genuine hate groups (the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-feder/what-makes-the-southern-poverty-law-center-particularly-odious-is-its/) [Don Feder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-feder/) > [Ayn Rand held that art is a 're-creation of reality according to an artist's metaphysical value-judgements.' 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Once you get into the \[Donald\] Trump stuff and the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cross/i-think-for-a-lot-of-people-it-s-just-where-their-saturation-point/) [David Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cross/) > [Before I met Ayn Rand, I was a logical positivist, and accordingly, I didn't believe in absolutes, moral or otherwise. If I couldn't prove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/before-i-met-ayn-rand-i-was-a-logical-positivist-and-accordingly-i/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) ## More by Don Feder > [Let's pass more gun control laws and buy metal detectors for every public school in the land - anything but tell kids that life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-feder/let-s-pass-more-gun-control-laws-and-buy-metal-detectors-for-every/) [Don Feder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-feder/) > [Executing a murderer is the only way to adequately express our horror at the taking of an innocent life. 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