You can more correctly assess the credibility of counterclaims, and evaluate how they are motivated to disinform about vitally important issues. Similarly, if

You can more correctly assess the credibility of counterclaims, and evaluate how they are motivated to disinform about vitally important issues. Similarly, if they are wrong, you can evaluate how their motivations caused them to mislead about such an issue. Knowing the truth is almost always useful. Some people even define truth in terms of the usefulness of a given belief. Also, if they are right, you can press to find out whether the originator of the pathogen simultaneously developed antigens for their internal use, or for later sale, and can better make the case for regulatory regimes which are better equipped to prevent such events. If it was developed by a state actor, peers can exert pressure and international law to circumscribe the potential for future harms, and the political processes internal to the state will become empowered to make internal changes to prevent harms to the people and the state such as result. It is much more difficult to disempower a successful deceiver than an unsuccessful one.