Originally Posted by aquinas
Truth is the ultimate arbiter of any discussion.
I find it interesting to read that statement, aquinas, as unfortunately there are sometimes facts, posted on-topic in various threads, which some forum members may find to be inconvenient truths and may disagree with, and therefore refute as being untrue.

One example may be standardized test score results, viewed through the lens of demographics. For example: when viewed statistically, girls outperform boys in English Language Arts, and boys may be said to outperform girls in math.
1) https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/06/13/upshot/boys-girls-math-reading-tests.html
2) https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-...ath-than-boys_b_58ed6b78e4b0ea028d568df7
3) https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-boys-better-than-girls-at-math/
That is not to say that ALL girls outperform ALL boys in English Language Arts or that ALL boys outperform ALL girls in math. There can be considerable overlap in scores, and group statistics are not appropriately applied to individuals, as though painting all members of a demographic with a broad brush.

As another example: when viewed through the lens of race/ethnicity, pupils from various demographic groups perform statistically differently on standardized tests.
1) https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED558085
2) https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED558085.pdf (18-page PDF file)
That is not to say that ALL members of a racial or ethnic group will perform better or less well than all members of another group. There can be considerable overlap in scores, and group statistics are not appropriately applied to individuals, as though painting all members of a demographic with a broad brush. While standardized tests can be an objective means of corroborating high school GPA for college admissions, their use is largely being discontinued.

The policies we live under are constantly changing, responsive to research, legislation, commercial interests, and judicial action (lawsuits). Motivations may range from altruism to profit to revenge, and anywhere in-between.

Some policies which have been found to be of benefit are sidelined and out of fashion. We may ask, "Cui bono?" (Who benefits?) and we may follow the money. One example may be the current trend for government schools to disallow grade skipping (whole grade acceleration) despite evidence of the benefits.

In summary, the widespread adoption or rejection of evidence at any point in time is not the arbiter of truth. Research continues and science is never settled.