&gt; The general quality of discourse on any thread seems to drop hugely whenever politics comes up.<p>Yeah, politics is the mindkiller.[0]<p>Dan Kahan&#x27;s research could lead to some interesting suggestions about why this might be.[1] There are many questions we answer dispassionately about facts, but then there&#x27;s this other series of questions about the world, where we really don&#x27;t answer with reference to specific knowledge. They seem primarily to serve as litmus tests for measuring group identity.<p>As it happens, contradicting someone who is really just talking about their identity just makes everyone upset.<p>Certainly conversations can change some people&#x27;s minds on some political topics[2]. I&#x27;ve had a few rare &#x27;conversion&#x27; experiences when talking with friends. But it&#x27;s usually in really specific situations with certain approaches to open discussion that are just really hard, sometimes it takes multiple discussions, none of which seem that monumental, but have a cumulative effect. Both conversants have to rely on a lot of care and patience. All of that is made much more difficult by the impersonal and ephemeral nature of conversations on the internet.<p>[0] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;lesswrong.com&#x2F;lw&#x2F;gw&#x2F;politics_is_the_mindkiller&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;lesswrong.com&#x2F;lw&#x2F;gw&#x2F;politics_is_the_mindkiller&#x2F;</a><p>[1] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.culturalcognition.net&#x2F;blog&#x2F;2014&#x2F;4&#x2F;23&#x2F;what-you-believe-about-climate-change-doesnt-reflect-what-yo.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.culturalcognition.net&#x2F;blog&#x2F;2014&#x2F;4&#x2F;23&#x2F;what-you-bel...</a><p>[2] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.thisamericanlife.org&#x2F;radio-archives&#x2F;episode&#x2F;584&#x2F;for-your-reconsideration" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.thisamericanlife.org&#x2F;radio-archives&#x2F;episode&#x2F;584&#x2F;f...</a>