Another perspective on why it’s hard to meaningfully win an argument: epistemic learned helplessness.* Most people, though perhaps not most people on this site, have known someone who could argue circles around them and “win” nearly any argument, to the point where “losing” an argument is so sure either way that it’s not even evidence of being wrong. If the fact that I’ve “lost” an argument (been confronted with reasoning that I am unable to effectively refute on a conversational timescale) forces me to actually change my mind, I could end up believing anything.
Just because my argument for why I like ham sandwiches is full of holes doesn’t mean I don’t really like ham sandwiches.
Another perspective on why it’s hard to meaningfully win an argument: epistemic learned helplessness.* Most people, though perhaps not most people on this site, have known someone who could argue circles around them and “win” nearly any argument, to the point where “losing” an argument is so sure either way that it’s not even evidence of being wrong. If the fact that I’ve “lost” an argument (been confronted with reasoning that I am unable to effectively refute on a conversational timescale) forces me to actually change my mind, I could end up believing anything.
Just because my argument for why I like ham sandwiches is full of holes doesn’t mean I don’t really like ham sandwiches.
*Edit: blog has been locked since I posted this comment. See archived version of this post at https://web.archive.org/web/20130114194332/http://squid314.livejournal.com/350090.html. Bare URL because when I put in the actual hyperlink, LW gets confused and inserts a “<” in the middle, breaking the link.
I’ve known someone like this. In other contexts, I’ve been someone like this.
It’s not pleasant.