arguing with idiots

"Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level,
then beat you with experience."

While there is surely a kernel of wisdom in the above quote, in the
real world, it can't be always be followed. We simply don't have the
luxury of always avoiding these fights.

For one thing, there is a need to defend those who are just learning.
Their defenses are typically not strong enough to ward off constant
barrages of nonsense. If we don't defend them, who will?

And what about the great past leaders of math and science. They
struggled to uncover the truth, to make sense of the mysteries, to
show us the way. Can we just sit by and let them be slandered by
morons? Don't we owe them something?

Ok, but what about the quote? If we argue with idiots, won't they drag
us down to their level and then beat us with experience? Yes, maybe at
first, but that's just it -- you need the experience. With practice,
you can hone your defensive skills, at least enough to defend the
innocent neophytes.

To prevent burning yourself out, pick your battles, but don't avoid
them all. Someone has to defend.

quasi
.

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