As a scientist, I have found that many academics are condescending. In fact, I found your comment above condescending and I think that you missed Ned's point entirely. Oh, well.
for everyone who doesn't know/understand something, the one who knows sounds condescending if he sounds annoyed about false claims and other things. so what you take for condescending is a mix of:
- impatience
- annoyance
- lack of skills to express better
- lack of language skills
- getting tired of the sheer mass of group dynamic based bias and ego/interest-based bias
so all the above are flaws, weaknesses, defects or any term of choice, true that, but other than most
i have no problems to admit that i do mistakes almost permanently which again is everything but not condescending.
also i observed that those who understand a lot or more than most rarely tell others to be righteous, it's mostly the one who has no clue who calls others righteous or condescending or arrogant. it's like the small dog usually barks up to the big dog until he's bitten while the big dod simply stands their stoic and wondering what all this is about, a bit annoyed perhaps but quite cool.
it's one example to verify that we humans are nothing but another kind of animals while some have more and others less control over their "instincts" or "egos"
what i was trying to say was the opposite of condescending, i was voting for open discussions, not based on renown names and/or academic titles or other titles or size of bank account or the looks or any other kind of fame or renown attributes. open discussions are discussions where it does not matter who speaks and to whom one speaks.
mostly the problems start when the less knowledgable starts to speak with inferior feelings which mostly goes hand in hand with personal attacks or some undertones.
now that's when the other guy, even when he was willing to be neutral, starts to feel treated unjust and sooner or later tries to defend himself and then the case is lost.
this is why i do such exchanges in 3 phases:
1.) free and open, no restrictions, no shyness and exclusively based on facts, opinion and experience
2. trying to explain
3. brake up contact and focus on opponents, friends and entities who are willing to be open minded and deserver the effort
so this post was trying to explain which means it's the last on the matter.