Cognitive Dissidence

     Argument is essential for
     its own sake.” (Karl Popper)

     “In life we make progress by
     conflict and in mental life
     by argument and disputation....
     There must be confrontation
     and opposition, in order that
     sparks must be kindled.
 
     Only an open conflict of ideas
     and principles can produce
     any clarity....
   
     Even if all were agreed on
     an essential proposition, it
     would be essential to give
     an ear to the one person who
     does not.   J.S.Mill  ]]

"It is the dissenters who force us to think, who
challenge received opinion, who nudge us
away from dead dogma to beliefs that have
survived critical challenge, the best that we
can hope for.  Dissenters are of great value
even when  they are largely or even totally
mistaken  in their beliefs. As Mill put it: ‘Both
teachers  and learners go to sleep at their post,
as  soon as there is no enemy in the field." ’
             (Nigel Warburton: "Talk With Me."

Dissenters are a pain in the ass. I don't like
dissenters and will give them my best hard
time--who do they think they are anyway?

Leave it alone if they don't love it.

Dissenters are a thorn in the flash, pea under
the mattress, monkey wrench in my cognitive
assonance,  BB Wolf at the door. Demoralizing.
Put me on defense--and then offense, too, when
ever some dissenter rears his  ugly head. Rocks
the boat. We all know the emperors got no clothes,
new or old. We agree that he has for reasons
of sustainability.   Terrorists.