It changes how you view the whole question, and even if one dissents from the conclusion it serves as a reference against which one must formulate an argument.

它改变了你对整个问题的认识，即使有人不同意它的结论，它也为如何提出一个相反的论点提供了参考。

Even his dissents were widely quoted, and some prompted legislative changes.

甚至他那些异议也被广泛引用，而且有的还促成了法律上的修改。