While in Australia, we had the pleasure of seeing Tom Stoppard's Arcadia.

While in Australia, we had the pleasure of seeing Tom Stoppard's Arcadia.

Among other delights, there is a scene where a professor of English uses rhetoric against a physicist. The physicist gets angry and walks out.

Hannah is a scholar and professional. Bernard is the rhetorician. The following exchange occurs:
Hannah: Well, I think that's everybody. You can leave now, give Lightning a kick on your way out.
Bernard: Yes, I'm sorry about that. It's no fun when it's not among pros, is it?
Hannah: No.

I enjoy the exchange. I can often take up positions that I do not believe simply because they are not being given a charitable interpretation. Doing this with other people who think about arguments and forms is fun; we know it isn't about the subject matter.

Not only is it fun, but it serves to sharpen tools that easily go rusty. Its sport.

It is important to only do this with other people who enjoy the exchange. Or else, there's a huge risk of, basically, being Bernard and getting kicked out of the house.