It shouldn't need years of engineering studies to understand that there's no real technical discussion going on between the various sub-camps in the developer's camp.
So your take is that devs are going full "political" rather than technical? (serious question)
Matters quickly become political when the point of contention is money; as Satoshi and Szabo have starkly reminded us, there is no economics without ideology. Macroeconomists (and among them, fiscal and monetary policists) couch their positions in technical terms under a veil of objectivity and impartiality, but it is fairly simple to sort out their assumptions, biases and allegiances.
Fortunately, the main political implications of the bitcoin economy are set in stone (as they are for the fiat economy). The devs, like the macroeconomists, will fiddle around the edges, try-and-err, and roll with their punches.