Alice is playing the gotcha game. She believes !X and thinks that every failed/rebutted evidence increases her status or bolsters her position. See also “Isolated Demand for Rigor”
Bob is a literalist who is trying to answer her direct question, without wondering (or asking) what is the context and purpose of this exploration.
In any of these cases, using more words helps a lot. Alice should give context and more description of what she’s uncertain about, and Bob should engage more deeply in the overall debate/discussion rather than trying to just provide the narrow thing Alice’s words describe.
Alternate possible framings:
Alice is playing the gotcha game. She believes !X and thinks that every failed/rebutted evidence increases her status or bolsters her position. See also “Isolated Demand for Rigor”
Bob is a literalist who is trying to answer her direct question, without wondering (or asking) what is the context and purpose of this exploration.
In any of these cases, using more words helps a lot. Alice should give context and more description of what she’s uncertain about, and Bob should engage more deeply in the overall debate/discussion rather than trying to just provide the narrow thing Alice’s words describe.