The other thing he does, like a lot of people involved in discussions here (on both sides), is to avoid the tricky points raised by other people.

In a useful discussion the thing is to concentrate on identifying the things which are said which challenge our own position, and then try to rebut them, or modify our position to take account of them. That way discussions can be useful in helping us clarify what we actually do think, and in understanding where the differences really lie.

Phony discussions are where we just pick on what seem like the weak points, and ignore the strong points. That can make for quite an entertaining game, batting debating points back and forth - but it is only a game, and some things are too important to be treated just as a game.