"It's one of things that has made me really wary of posting anything vaguely controversial here. One can feel horribly vulnerable "

Debate is the best way to test your ideas. See what others think, purposely see how the poke holes in your ideas because you just might be wrong, it tests your ideas against another. It's a test of will, strategy, rhetoric, logic, evidence, etc The best way to really find out what you think on a topic is for someone who also knows about it to tell you that you are wrong an for you two to debate it. I think it is hard to know for sure what you think about something until you have had to defend your ideas and test your mettle against someone else's in doing so. If someone tells you that you are wrong just kindly explain why and enjoy it. Debate is good for the individual and society as a whole too.