I don’t know about that so much. I see where you’re coming from, I think … but is it truly cowardice or could it simply be due to laziness? I’ll have to give it some though, because you’re right, there’s definitely the potential for cowardice there.

I think, when judiciously used, it can have it’s place though — the Socratic Method might be considered a form of sarcasm: “So what you’re saying is …” + <their utterly ludicrous proposition>. But I’ve always preferred to go for withering scorn myself: why play with your food when you can go straight for the jugular?