I think this Core vs Knots debate is good for Bitcoin (in the long run). If this was a centralised monetary system you’d just have to fall in line with whatever rules you were told to follow. This has highlighted that no matter what side you fall on, people will always have the freedom to run whatever nodes and filters that they seem fit. And if people turn on both Core AND Knots in future then other node clients will likely be created, further decentralising the network.