I agree—that’s why I sometimes point out that for people who imagine themselves to be so much more rational than average, a real test would be to try and make some sense of such fuzzy and controversial topics.
Also, in subjects outside of hard sciences, the danger isn’t just that you may fall in with the flow of a well-written bad argument, but also that a valid argument might have such bad ideological or signaling implications that you’ll desperately grasp for any excuse to reject it without due consideration.
I agree—that’s why I sometimes point out that for people who imagine themselves to be so much more rational than average, a real test would be to try and make some sense of such fuzzy and controversial topics.
Also, in subjects outside of hard sciences, the danger isn’t just that you may fall in with the flow of a well-written bad argument, but also that a valid argument might have such bad ideological or signaling implications that you’ll desperately grasp for any excuse to reject it without due consideration.