This is a common tactic and it has more to do with people defending their beliefs than with any attempt to get to the truth of a matter. But are you doing any different if you keep engaging these people and complaining about their tactics? If getting to the truth is important to you, then arguing with people who do this isn’t going to help; maybe you’re actually just defending your beliefs too, rather than arguing with someone who will help you toward the truth.
You can’t resolve only to argue with neo-rationalists and abandon the 99.99999% of the population who are either not rationalists or are Traditional Rationalists; this will effectively protect you from most counter-arguments and is a move towards the cult attractor. I think that erring on the side of arguing often will help you get to the truth.
Upvoted, but it’s not always so clear as that in practice; some people do respond well to being redirected, and it can be rewarding to have discussions with them even if it is a bit more work.
This is a common tactic and it has more to do with people defending their beliefs than with any attempt to get to the truth of a matter. But are you doing any different if you keep engaging these people and complaining about their tactics? If getting to the truth is important to you, then arguing with people who do this isn’t going to help; maybe you’re actually just defending your beliefs too, rather than arguing with someone who will help you toward the truth.
You can’t resolve only to argue with neo-rationalists and abandon the 99.99999% of the population who are either not rationalists or are Traditional Rationalists; this will effectively protect you from most counter-arguments and is a move towards the cult attractor. I think that erring on the side of arguing often will help you get to the truth.
And you definitely shouldn’t resolve to argue with no one at all. Even those who claim to be rationalists often defend themselves in this way.
Upvoted, but it’s not always so clear as that in practice; some people do respond well to being redirected, and it can be rewarding to have discussions with them even if it is a bit more work.