Yeah and those open minded people might really be on to something there. I didn't particularly like the premise of the article, which seems to be that the goal

Yeah and those open minded people might really be on to something there. I didn't particularly like the premise of the article, which seems to be that the goal is to change the other's mind. But think about it, what could be more beneficial to me than having an argument that changes my mind? If I convince someone of my opinion (whether by "weapon" or by "gift") then they learned something (ideally...) but if I change my mind thanks to the conversation, then I just learned something, I got to make that improvement to myself. A day where nobody changed your mind is a day of stagnation.