The problem is when someone argues with me in way that actually annoys/bothers me. It’s not “oh this bothers me I’ll block them.” It’s “oh this bothers me, is it because the ideas make me uncomfortable, or is this person being a dick?” If it’s the latter, then I block them. And I think hard about the difference. This is why I specifically mention attacks on ethos rather than attacks on logos.

That way, I’m jolted out of my smug, happy little personal bubble universe and I realize that not only are there people out there who think, act, talk, feel and dream differently from me, I have to deal with my own fear and anger. I can’t do that by simply denying their existence — no, I need to learn how to deal with them in a somewhat tolerant (if not necessarily respectful) manner in order to develop as a person, in order to properly empathize and put myself in the place of others. To understand myself and others, I must have as rich a context as possible.

By blocking people you disagree with, you are closing yourself in, building yourself an echo-chamber, protecting yourself from an enemy you made yourself through your insecurities and your own intolerance. Every time you block someone because you don’t like the way they talk or think, you have isolated and effectively disempowered yourself.

You are now keeping useful information from yourself, you are avoiding challenging your own deeply held thoughts and beliefs, and you are doing it in a complete vacuum. No-one will ever know you blocked someone (unless you tell them, which you can’t, since you blocked them). The action has no significance and no value.