[jcadam]

> I am a software engineer and I was once asked during an interview at a large hedge fund to pick a side and debate why war is justified.

Heh, I actually wouldn't have minded that too much - but in addition to being a software engineer I'm also a former Army officer.

In any case, I think such a task can be relevant, if you're working in a fast-paced and competitive environment (esp. one with a lot of non-technical staff) you need to be able to hold your own in an argument. You wouldn't want to be the guy who is always right but gets overruled 99% of the time because you're unable to persuade others.

> ...but socio-ethical problems are way outside of my wheelhouse.

Mine too, and probably 99%+ of the world's population. But that doesn't stop most people from having strong opinions on subjects they don't understand.

[tasty_freeze]

> you need to be able to hold your own in an argument

Then you'll hire a bunch people who like arguing about things they aren't qualified to argue about. I'd much rather have a coworker who admits what they don't know and is willing to learn about it rather than someone who is willing to vigorously argue in support of an arbitrary position.

[DoofusOfDeath]

Great point, but I could imagine this being a test for many different traits. One might be that the interviewee would be entertaining to argue with. It's anyone's guess what really motivated the interview topic.

[0xffff2]

> You wouldn't want to be the guy who is always right but gets overruled 99% of the time because you're unable to persuade others.

On the other hand, I don't want to work in a group where the right answer only gets picked if it's backed by someone with an assertive personality.

[rich_ard]

Not clear on how showing that you're willing to argue a position that you don't have any background or evidence to support is a positive.

[ska]

Perhaps it is useful in any industry where a key competence is convincing people of things that are not true.