>This is not the point of your post, I realize, but I was wondering, since
>I wasn't sure from how you phrased it: do you in fact think it's a good
>idea to walk away from an argument when the other party is violating
>logical rules?
While it depends on the situation, generally I don't think it's a good
idea to walk away from an argument if you think the other party is
violating logical rules. (Just beat them up!:-) ) People process
information very subjectively, trying to fit what they see into their
preconceived notions. When someone seems like they're "violating logical
rules" it might be that the mind (yours or the other party's) simply does
not process information that conflicts with its basic premises. Conflicts
between people of different basic assumptions can still get resolved, even
if the argument seems hopeless. I think that if you persist with the
argument, that over time the one with the more consistent and logical set
of memes influences to a certain degree, the one with the less consistent,
illogical set of memes.
--David R.