Be careful; this is very close to the oft-quoted error of saying “If this is so important to you, why won’t you teach me?” You’re right that someone on the other side of a conflict can teach you, and also that it is in their best interest to do so; it does not logically follow that if they do not, it must not be important.
To reject another oft quoted saying, absence of evidence is evidence of absence. If people consistently don’t rfriel something when it is in their best interest to give it to him then it is correct for him to consider that evidence that said thing does not exist.
If people consistently don’t [give] rfriel something when it is in their best interest to give it to him then it is correct for him to consider that evidence that said thing does not exist.
It is indeed correct for him to consider it. A good next step in evaluating that consideration might be to seek out other sources for that evidence than individuals currently engaged in a realtime debate—for example, published resources on the topic. That way, he can distinguish between a real lack of evidence, and the presence of some incentive for any given individual not to focus their energy on teaching it to him.
To reject another oft quoted saying, absence of evidence is evidence of absence. If people consistently don’t rfriel something when it is in their best interest to give it to him then it is correct for him to consider that evidence that said thing does not exist.
The problem is that people can give up on trying to explain something if they don’t feel as though they’re being heard.
I suggest that “complicated mess” is at least as good a hypothesis as “nothing there”.
It is indeed correct for him to consider it. A good next step in evaluating that consideration might be to seek out other sources for that evidence than individuals currently engaged in a realtime debate—for example, published resources on the topic. That way, he can distinguish between a real lack of evidence, and the presence of some incentive for any given individual not to focus their energy on teaching it to him.