qwerty > Studying Gemara is a tool to train one in acquiring a sense of truth.
I am all with you here. So is Maharal .. that is why a mis-use of Talmudic approach, such as quoting things out of context or quoting only things that support one’s POV is a meaningless exercise. Sometimes, we all start arguing using “first amendment” reshus for expressing an opinion as string as possible and leaving it to the opponent to disprove. this shows that surrounding culture sometimes affects minds more than leaning in beis midrash