Bruce McTague wrote a blog post titled Debating & Truth & Contrarian Ideas. The opening quote captures the essence of contemporary political discourse, epitomized by cable news networks.
“Debate is great for sharpening the mind, but I worry that really skilled debaters might internalize the idea that the point of discussion and debate is victory, rather than truth. In debate, if you encounter a compelling counterargument, you just try to find a way around it. But you should argue for truth, not for victory. Really good debaters run the risk of ignoring valid counterarguments.”
— Robert George, law professor, Princeton University
The quote comes from interview in The Atlantic.