Arguing used to be a beneficial and useful part of society. A way to tease out nuance, learn, improve our own understanding of a topic, and get closer to truth.
Unfortunately,
We've become Sensitive and Illogical
- We get offended easily when asked to justify our position
- We attack the person instead of their words
- We focus on "winning" instead of truth
- We twist context to trick and avoid
Be Better!
If you actually want to learn instead of just feeling like you "won", don't use these devious tactics
1. False Dichotomy
“If you don’t vote for me you'll have high taxes forever”
“You’re either with us or against us!"
Nope, there are other possible options and outcomes here.
Be Better!
2. Begging the Question (aka. Assuming the Conclusion)
“We know the bible was written by God, because it says in the bible that all scripture is divined by God”
You’re just saying the same thing twice. Your reason assumes the conclusion is already true.
Be Better!
3. Ad hominem
“You’re not gay, so how can I take your arguments for gay rights seriously”
A non gay person can still present facts and rational arguments on gay rights. Judge an argument on its merits, not the person making it.
Be Better!
4. Generalisation
“Two people I know were both mugged by black men. Watch out for black men, they're criminals”
You're pretending two isolated incidents are representative of an entire population.
Be Better!
5. Appeal to ignorance.
“I’ve never met a woman that performed well in upper management, they’re just not cut out for the boardroom”
You’re assuming your ignorance of something is proof os something else.
Be Better!
6. Argument by False Analogy
"We would never condone the holocaust or 9/11. So how can we condone abortion?"
You're using people's emotions about one topic to make them feel something about another, unrelated topic.
Be Better!