Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to how ridiculous

re: how ridiculous
JimO — (archived)

Well, I did 'grin', and it was because
I recalled that the argumentation technique
of dodging an accusation by saying, 'Well,
YOU are worse!" is the standard 'tu quoque'
gambit ('you too' in Latin).

Instead of responding to a criticism, his
answer was that the other side was worse,
so he didn't deserve to be criticized.

Not exactly constructive.

The serious issue here is that if you
can recognize the common fallacies and
tricks of argumentation, you often can get
clues as to who is arguing from logic and
who from emotion and fog. It does not
prove it, but it provides powerful clues.

Of course, if you discover that people have no idea
what you mean by fallacies and tricks of debate,
you have to do some general education before
progressing further. As, perhaps, we need here.

Another good clue is when an arguer states
authoritatively, 'you are wrong'. Sort of pulls
the rug out from the premise of an argument,
the intelligence and integrity of the partners
in the discussion. Not a good sign.

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