You have lost the debate

Meaning: By your failure to acknowledge vital facts and/or reasoning presented within a discussion:

• You have demonstrated that your objective in said discussion is not a search for truth but rather to convince others of your predetermined position – a contest of wills.
• You have lost that contest.

Explanation

Debate generally comes in either of two forms:

• Rational debate generally consists of two or more parties exchanging information in a mutual search for a better understanding of the truth.
• Competitive debate consists of two (or more, but not usually) parties who each attempt to make the most persuasive argument for predetermined conclusions.

Unfortunately, a debate cannot remain rational if any of the participants view it competitively.

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