Very good that you made this diary. We often hear only 30% or less of contradictory arguments against whatever is the prevailing ET view on a particular subject. But I have enjoyed reading those contrarians. <W.Churchill> comes to mind. IMO it is important to really test if a concept is durable. Some many months ago there was a big to-do about biofuels here at ET - firstly a great enthusiasm, then people went away and did some calculations (there wasn't much information out there, at that time, to datamine). But there were contrarian views in the comments, and that is one subject that was treated, in a sense, fairly, in that a full range of views was heard - and many shifted their opinion as a result.

The StopBlair project had an immediate and ready audience here. It perhaps was a 'rush to judgement'. It was so easy to judge. However there was an element of revenge in the phenomenon: "We'll teach that phony". And why not? There's nothing like feeling empowered. And, like Everest, you don't need a reason to climb Mt. Internet, because 'just because it is there' is a reasonable motivation and justification.

Hoever, just because we acquire some power, there is no reason to believe that it is because we are right.

So I am all for contrarian views: they help to refine the agument and make it right. You are a braver soul than I ;-)

You can't be me, I'm taken