I used to argue a great deal about all sorts of things. Eventually I became very tired and enervated, without having persuaded anybody of anything. It finally dawned on me that most people do not want to be persuaded and are not open to being persuaded about another point of view. Actually, it is a very effective rhetorical (and political) tactic to deny that what the other person is saying is in any way intelligible.That way, they can work even harder to convince the person who is unwilling to be convinced -- and waste all their energy.
When I eventually realised how this game was being played, I changed my tactics. Watch a boxing match and you will see that the person who has to work hard for points is going to lose in the long run. You must conserve your energy and make the opponent work hard for points. Skepticism is very useful here, but so are other features of intellectual rigour, like good arguments, reference points and a sincere attitude. You can award points for these, but if the other person doesn't have these qualities, you need to apply pressure on him to work harder to get his point across ... to YOU.
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