I expect Richard’s memeset has understanding of all your points that doesn’t move his current position. You’re probably exposing him to arguments he has already encountered, so there’s little point in expecting a different result. I’m not saying that Richard can’t be moved by argument, just not by standard argument that is already known to have failed to move him. He even probably “agrees” with a lot of your points, just with a different and more sophisticated understanding than yours.
On the other hand, it might work for the benefit of more naive onlookers.
The intent of my comment wasn’t to convince Richard (I never do that), but to sharpen our points and make him clarify whatever genuine insight he possesses and we don’t.
I expect Richard’s memeset has understanding of all your points that doesn’t move his current position. You’re probably exposing him to arguments he has already encountered, so there’s little point in expecting a different result. I’m not saying that Richard can’t be moved by argument, just not by standard argument that is already known to have failed to move him. He even probably “agrees” with a lot of your points, just with a different and more sophisticated understanding than yours.
On the other hand, it might work for the benefit of more naive onlookers.
The intent of my comment wasn’t to convince Richard (I never do that), but to sharpen our points and make him clarify whatever genuine insight he possesses and we don’t.
That’s a motivation I didn’t consider. (Agreed.)