Unless you’re an expert in a specific topic, then it seems to me rather likely that you’re bound to believe in at least some things about it which are in fact false. We don’t have the time or energy to comprehensively check the source of every statement we encounter, nor an ability to reliably keep track of which statements we have indeed checked. Even facts found in seemingly reliable sources, like textbooks on the topic, might be wrong.
I don’t think making an erroneous statement or two is enough for us to say that his facts were weak, or that he resorted too much to emotions. If you discuss any topic long enough, the odds are that you’re going to slip a not-entirely-thought-out statement sooner or later. This is especially so since discussing a topic with someone else will force us to consider points of view we hadn’t thought of ourselves, and make up new responses on the spot.
Incidentally, having to quickly react to new points of view is what makes me a bit suspicious of the sometimes-heard claim “I debunked his claim in debate X, but then I heard him afterwards repeating it debate Y, so clearly he’s intellectually dishonest”. Yes, sometimes this is true, but it might also be that when the other person had more time to reflect on their opponent’s arguments, they thought they found in them a fatal flaw and could thus save their original claim. I know it’s happened to me.
Unless you’re an expert in a specific topic, then it seems to me rather likely that you’re bound to believe in at least some things about it which are in fact false. We don’t have the time or energy to comprehensively check the source of every statement we encounter, nor an ability to reliably keep track of which statements we have indeed checked. Even facts found in seemingly reliable sources, like textbooks on the topic, might be wrong.
I don’t think making an erroneous statement or two is enough for us to say that his facts were weak, or that he resorted too much to emotions. If you discuss any topic long enough, the odds are that you’re going to slip a not-entirely-thought-out statement sooner or later. This is especially so since discussing a topic with someone else will force us to consider points of view we hadn’t thought of ourselves, and make up new responses on the spot.
Incidentally, having to quickly react to new points of view is what makes me a bit suspicious of the sometimes-heard claim “I debunked his claim in debate X, but then I heard him afterwards repeating it debate Y, so clearly he’s intellectually dishonest”. Yes, sometimes this is true, but it might also be that when the other person had more time to reflect on their opponent’s arguments, they thought they found in them a fatal flaw and could thus save their original claim. I know it’s happened to me.