Word meaning academic or rational, when describing the style of an argument
Here's the context:
Dude's an awful troll. If he wants to express his views, he should present them in a more [adjective] manner.
What we're getting at here is that the guy sounds obnoxious, but the controversial opinion he holds could still be expressed in civil discourse if presented properly.
What word works best for that?
Rather than saying the argumentative person needs to be "more" of something, I would say he would need to be "less".
Dude's an awful troll. If he wants to express his views, he should present them in a less provocative/inflammatory manner.
(less) provocative Causing annoyance, anger, or another strong reaction, especially deliberately "a provocative article", "his provocative remarks on race"
(less) inflammatory (esp. of speech or writing) arousing or intended to arouse angry or violent feelings
A word that describes an academic and rational style of argument could be any of the following:
- objective (as suggested by Jon Hanna)
- level-headed
- balanced
- sound
A Rogerian argument typifies the type of argument which we all should, ideally, aim towards.
A negotiating strategy in which common goals are identified and opposing views are described as objectively as possible in an effort to establish common ground and reach agreement.
Whereas traditional argument focuses on winning, the Rogerian model seeks a mutually satisfactory solution. ... Effective Rogerian argument forces the people involved to listen to each other and explore carefully all the options. It also downplays emotional appeals and concentrates instead on objective representations of the various points of view."
Source
objective
well-argued
well thought-out
All would have their place. One might also choose to refer to what their arguments would be better off having less of, of which ad hominem arguments are a particular problem with trolls.