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 Originally Posted by MadMojoMonkey
Citing cognitive dissonance when it's appropriate is one thing, but throwing it around whenever you don't follow someone's argument from their own first principles is kinda douchy. It doesn't help the conversation to bring up tangential topics like their cognitive state and/or abilities. If the argument doesn't make sense, then that is what is dissonant, not the mind that made the argument.
It may not be a good tactic. I don't know.
I know that knowing about my own cognitive dissonance has helped me greatly. And I believe that it is foolish to address somebody's argument from cognitive dissonance as if it is not. In practice, it has been a last resort thing for me. Once I view a conversation with a person as involving them ignoring my points and changing the subject while acting like my points have been successfully addressed, I believe I have one of two options: point out the cognitive dissonance or stop engaging altogether.
You're probably right, though. It would probably be better to simply point out that the point has not been addressed than to point out that the response is a tell for cognitive dissonance. I do the latter because that has helped me greatly, but it may not help others (especially when it's directed at them). So, maybe I won't use that now.
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