he is conceited, knowing nothing, but obsessed with arguments, disputes, and word battles, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions,
Paul regarded these men as guilty and blameworthy. Their error was not an innocent one. It sprang from improper attitudes: the desires to exalt self and to hoard money selfishly. Compare the religious hucksters of the Ephesian Artemis cult as Luke described them in Acts 19:23-41. Such motivation demonstrated that they really understood "nothing" (i.e., nothing that is truly important). This motivation also led them to an unhealthy interest in controversies and terminology. This interest produced all kinds of selfish and divisive behavior and attitudes that were not loving and edifying (1 Timothy 1:5). Contrast the elder qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:2-12.