Ah, okay. I agree that it would be a bad idea to criticize someone if doing so is more likely to strengthen an incorrect belief or faulty reasoning in that person.
I no longer agree with my use of the word ‘should’ in my first sentence in the grandparent comment.
However, I stand by my wording in the third paragraph—if you have strengthened an incorrect position in someone, then you have not convinced them at all. It still better to convince someone that their reasoning is wrong when it is wrong, but you have brought up the good point that a failed attempt to convince someone can do harm.
Ah, okay. I agree that it would be a bad idea to criticize someone if doing so is more likely to strengthen an incorrect belief or faulty reasoning in that person.
I no longer agree with my use of the word ‘should’ in my first sentence in the grandparent comment.
However, I stand by my wording in the third paragraph—if you have strengthened an incorrect position in someone, then you have not convinced them at all. It still better to convince someone that their reasoning is wrong when it is wrong, but you have brought up the good point that a failed attempt to convince someone can do harm.