This & That, Ceci et Cela

Sometimes what is most annoying is not the opposing subject/viewpoint, but the flawed method of argument or presentation;
e.g. people not arguing properly because they do not present/focus on facts and refuse to see the other side. I mean, how can we truly ascertain the shape of an orange if we cannot see the other side? Reminds me of a talk I attended given by Wole Soyinka (Nigerian Nobel Laureate). To illustrate a point, he told this story:

Once upon a time, there were two jolly friends who often met and chatted while standing on either side of a road. One day, the Devil decided to have some fun, so he walked along the same road in his black and white hat. As he walked through their midst, one man proclaimed the beauty of the Devil’s white hat while the other agreed but insisted it was a black hat. Naturally, it devolved into a raging argument, with each side accusing the other of seeking to make a fool of him. Then they paused, and decided to make up rather than dissolve their friendship.

Then the Devil passed through again on his way back home. Naturally, the cap sides were reversed as he was now facing east as opposed to west. So the 1st man apologized even more saying he now knew the other man was right, the cap was indeed black; he must have been blinded by the sun the first time. The 2nd man thanked him for being conciliatory but insisted it was HE who was wrong, for he could now see that the cap was indeed white. Naturally, they started fighting again. You’d think that at some point each would have crossed to the other side to see the other’s point of view…

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