It sure can be depressing since it all boils down to us being apes who want to fuck, eat, sleep and laugh. Having an intellectual debate is not everybodys cup of tea, but I am humble and think that as long as we don't actually change the world all of our talk about what would make the world a better place is pretty empty as well. It might sharpen a few of our old grey cells, but it is not more than a hobby.
I think my relation with @dwinblood started as a constant jousting match. However after some critical blows I changed my flag and now it became a dull, toothless Kaffeekränzchen of two old farts agreeing on most of the things there are to talk about.
Oh and I have seen people who you would think have the support to not act like insecure manchilds still cry like a nine year old or even better just ignore you, when you challenge their ideas. I think its because of the strong echo chamber they get otherwise, but who am I telling this?
I long ago came to the conclusion that not only is it okay to be wrong. It is often desirable. It is one of the best opportunities we have in life to learn and grow. We simply have to be willing to be wrong and okay with that.
That doesn't mean you need to assume you are wrong. It also doesn't mean that you can't be wrong about some things while being correct about others. A lot of people treat so many mental engagements as an "all or nothing" type of thing. Yet it doesn't need to be that way at all.
As such I engage. So do you. You will encounter a lot of similar exchanges for the most part. If you allow yourself to change then you'll find it more and more difficult to find opportunities to change. You long for those encounters with someone who disagrees with you, yet can be civil and have reasoned and rational conversations. Those are the moments you can learn and grow.
This is not how most of society is being conditioned to approach life. They are being conditioned not only to be on the constant look for victims, and things to complain about, but they are also being conditioned that being wrong is something you never want to happen.
I may feel bruised an battered in many exchanges. Especially when they resort to bashing my character or run to the standard mental escape hatches. Some very reasonable people for example may be far too quick about running to the "that's an anecdote" corner... Everything you recount about yourself is an anecdote. If you hear it from other people that is their anecdote. So yes it is an anecdote. IF there are a lot of similar anecdotes it begins to have more meaning than simply deciding you need not listen to it because it was an anecdote. Everything to some extent is based upon anecdotal experiences. Yet they accumulate and at some point YOU decide they have importance to your view of truth.
I don't know if I would agree that I desire to be wrong but I certainly agree on the sentiment that I love to seek out people who disagree with me. Sure it is always nice to be reaffirmed in your believes and to a degree that is desirable as well, however the real pleasure starts when I see a strong argument that totally contradicts my world view.
To sometimes have a knee jerk reaction when the core of your believes is challenged is also only human as well. But sometimes people treat their ideas like spoiled children, in that they can never be wrong and everything they demand shall be granted.
I would say most of my life experience is anecdotal, after all I will most likely just be an afterthought of human history. But still it is my life, my real world experience, it is one of the sources I trust the most! Sure you could lay out your world view, so you are covered by some big names of the scientific, philosophical or economic community and hide behind those ideas but that's not us ;)
I went and wrote a post along these lines.