saying "I love mercurial" without some mention of why you aren't using git, which is more popular, will seem like an incomplete argument. That's the point. Whe

saying "I love mercurial" without some mention of why you aren't using git, which is more popular, will seem like an incomplete argument. That's the point. When you say why you love Hg without saying why you aren't using git, you aren't arguing. The author isn't explaining how to argue more civilly, he's explaining how to make a perfectly valid statement without getting into an argument. Example: I love riding a hard tail MTB. Most riders will ask why I don't want full suspension. But I'm not arguing about why a hard tail is better. I'm explaining that I love riding a hard tail.