Disproving their points is secondary to the argument made by the author, which is rhetorical - don’t listen to pseudointelligence just because it comes from the ‘Very Smart’ (using the author’s sarcastic phrasing here).
It’s not as though the subjects didn’t put forward thoughtful arguments, but the author doesn’t agree and so goes on to say that their arguments are vacuous and the subjects are vacuous, which is an extraordinary leap.
It’s not as though the subjects didn’t put forward thoughtful arguments, but the author doesn’t agree and so goes on to say that their arguments are vacuous and the subjects are vacuous, which is an extraordinary leap.