That title confused me. I expected an article on how, when debating, it was better to leave the opponent a line of retreat so that they would not feel dialectically cornered and start panicking. Of course, along that line of retreat, your arguments would be waiting for them. Socrates apparently was a true master of this little dance. This is especially useful if you have a lot of time and you are trying to actually change the way your opponent thinks, rather than changing that of an audience.
That title confused me. I expected an article on how, when debating, it was better to leave the opponent a line of retreat so that they would not feel dialectically cornered and start panicking. Of course, along that line of retreat, your arguments would be waiting for them. Socrates apparently was a true master of this little dance. This is especially useful if you have a lot of time and you are trying to actually change the way your opponent thinks, rather than changing that of an audience.
I am pretty sure that is what the term “leaving a line of retreat” in the context of an argument or disagreement should be used to refer to.
The meaning being proposed in this post is counter-intuitive. I classify it as being undesirable terminology.