I agree with you that “you have to apply yourself to understanding their priors and to engage with those priors”. If someone’s beliefs are, for example:
God will intervene to prevent human extinction
God will not obviate free will
God cannot prevent human extinction without obviating free will
Then I agree there is an apparent contradiction, and this is a reasonable thing to ask them about. They could resolve it in three ways.
Maybe god will not intervene. (very roughly: deism)
Maybe god will intervene and obviate free will. (very roughly: conservative theism)
Maybe god will intervene and preserve free will. (very roughly: liberal theism)
However they resolve it, discussion can go from there.
I agree with you that “you have to apply yourself to understanding their priors and to engage with those priors”. If someone’s beliefs are, for example:
God will intervene to prevent human extinction
God will not obviate free will
God cannot prevent human extinction without obviating free will
Then I agree there is an apparent contradiction, and this is a reasonable thing to ask them about. They could resolve it in three ways.
Maybe god will not intervene. (very roughly: deism)
Maybe god will intervene and obviate free will. (very roughly: conservative theism)
Maybe god will intervene and preserve free will. (very roughly: liberal theism)
However they resolve it, discussion can go from there.