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I think you’re way overestimating how much it matters that @ymeskhout is a lawyer relative to him simply being very sharp and, it seems, having the facts on his side.
Skill issue.
It's a trust issue. People are familiar with the conduct of lawyers with an axe to grind, and simply know better than to voluntarily place themselves in front of that buzzsaw.
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I said "trained lawyer or equivalent". "Or equivalent" includes being a trained debater who doesn't actually practice law.
This is also a good example of not being able to phrase the objection to cover all the loopholes in advance. I thought I covered being sharp and having skills, but it seems you think the way I phrased it didn't.
It's essentially the rationalist bet scenario.
I think you’re overly worried about loopholes and training instead of whether someone who has good evidence has a fair shot in a discussion, not a court of law or formal competition.
You’re actually demonstrating a talent for nitpicking much as a lawyer or policy analyst might. Raw talent can go a long way.
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