Thank you for poking a hole in my statement, and, In theory, I'd be inclined to agree with you. Arguments deserving holes should be poked and I'm open to hearing sincerely held counter-arguments.

The soundness of an argument, in my world, isn't the only important thing. In my world - which I admit has its limitations - the sincerity of the other person and my trust in that other person are also important.

I can remember a recent discussion in which, after throwing out a bunch of statements, the other person said, "I'm only playing devil's advocate." We were discussing whether or not ambition is a good thing in women. My underlying assumption was that women have difficulty with ambition often because they were uncomfortable seeking recognition for their achievements. Their socialization made it more acceptable for women to give recognition to others rather than seek it for themselves. I cited studies and examples found in the book Necessary Dreams: Ambition in a Woman's Changing Life by Anna Fels.

The other person began to argue that ambition was bad in everyone and that ambition in general should be shunned, giving examples of the horrors and dangers and terrible outcomes of ambition. Then, concluding with the "I'm only playing devil's advocate" line.

So there's my example.

The conversation did not seem like a good use of my time.

Maybe this example makes my point clearer.