With out explicit knowledge of rhetoric, philosophical techniques and methods of logic, even a professor of physics can look like an idiot.
How to put forth a premise, then make an argument in its favor or against it, being cautious of formal and informal biases, being aware of limitations of human language, being clear of inductive and deductive parts of ones argument and then drawing a conclusion takes years of practice and being educated in the discipline. These things don't come naturally to humans. It is something beyond critical thinking. Philosophy of science and practice of scientific method are two very different things. It is sad to see so many famous people making fools of themselves , including people like Dawkins and Laurence Cross , although most people don't see the flaw in their arguments.