Shadowing Practice: How to debate a stupid person | Jonny Thomson - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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So there's a great quotation which has been floating around the internet for a very long time now, from the earlier days of the internet, and it says that debating an idiot is like playing chess with a pigeon.
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You can play as well as you want, but the pigeon will jump on the board, it'll crap on the pieces, and it'll go back to its flock declaring victory.
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When you're debating somebody who is stupid in the sense of Bonhoeffer, they don't question their own beliefs, and they are unwilling to accept any contrary position to what they actually believe.
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they're playing by different rules you might approach them with facts
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and the most logical arguments you can possibly devise
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but they will see you as an enemy they will see
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you as an other they will see you as a kind
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of temptation in aristotle's rhetoric he actually makes a distinction between three different types of persuading somebody
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or three different ways that people often come to believe something he talks about logos
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which is rationality it's reason and it's using good debate and facts and evidence.
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He talks about ethos which is somebody's character, their reputation, their status and ability to persuade you.
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And he talks about pathos which is emotions, he talks about feelings.
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And Aristotle even in the ancient Greek world, this is you know the epitome of the rational philosopher,
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he is well aware that logos plays second place to your ethos and your pathos as well.
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So if we pull it up to the modern time the same thing is at play here, that when you are debating somebody, you may think that you are both playing by logos.
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That if I lay out my argument in premises to a conclusion, if I lay out all of the evidence, this person is going to bow to me and say, well done, you are so brilliant,
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your position is better, and I will believe what you are saying.
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And what Bonhoeffer is saying about the stupid person, the pigeon on the chessboard, is that they don't even care about the logos.
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They care about the ethos, they care about the pathos.
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And so you need to play it according to their game
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if you're going to have any kind of proper debate and discussion.
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About This Lesson
You're practicing English with "How to debate a stupid person | Jonny Thomson" using the Shadowing technique — a method originally developed for professional interpreter training.
Focus on sounding like the speaker — not just repeating words. With 15–30 minutes of daily practice, you'll build real-world speaking confidence.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.