In warfare one of the common aphorisms is "know thy enemy" and I think this is very much lost on many people these days. So often I see people fighting agains

In warfare one of the common aphorisms is "know thy enemy" and I think this is very much lost on many people these days. So often I see people fighting against some thing without any understanding of how that thing works or why its that way. So they end up fighting some badly drawn caricature, and many of their arguments end up being unsound as they reflect the caricature and not the opponent. This is especially disappointing in politics, where at times in the past political dealing was centered around achieving a consensus, these days it seems to be based more around wielding power and whatever tricks are needed to get the thing to stick. Unsurprisingly since the opposite side has nothing to get them to stick to the plan, if they get into power they try to wipe it out. So, I think understanding your enemy puts you in a position to make strategic choices to lock them into a path that achieves your goals and makes it hard for them to block them. So, with all the caveats about looking into abysses and fighting monsters, we should understand our enemies.