FALLACIES
WHEN YOU FIND YOUR OPPONENT MISREPRESENTING THE ARGUMENT OR POINT YOU ARE TRYING TO MAKE, YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED THIS GRASS-STUFFED FALLACY
WHAT IS THE STRAWMAN FALLACY?
THIS GREEK PHILOSOPHER ARGUED THAT IT WAS ALWAYS VIRTUOUS TO FOLLOW THE GOVERNMENT'S COMMANDS...EVEN IF THAT COMMAND WAS FOR HIM TO BE PUT TO DEATH;GOOD THING HIS SUDENT PLATO LIVED TO TELL THE TALE!
WHO IS SOCRATES?
THIS PHILOSOPHER STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPERTY RIGHTS; JUST DON'T TOUCH HIS STUFF, OK?
WHO IS ROBERT NOZICK?
IN THIS CLASSIC ETHICAL DILEMMA, WE ARE GIVEN THE OPTION OF PULLING A RAILWAY SWITCH, SAVING FIVE PEOPLE'S LIVES BUT AT THE COST OF ANOTHER'S; DON'T THINK ABOUT IT TOO LONG, THIS TYPE OF SMALL RAIL VEHICLE IS APPROACHING AT A SLOW SPEED!
WHAT IS THE TROLLEY PROBLEM?
THIS 2002 FILM EXPLORES A NEAR FUTURE WHERE CRIMINALS ARE ARRESTED BEFORE THEY COMMIT A CRIME
WHAT IS MINORITY REPORT?
THIS FALLACY WILL HAVE YOUR OPPONENT ATTACKING YOU PERSONALLY INSTEAD OF TRYING TO DISPUTE YOUR ARGUMENTS
WHAT IS THE AD HOMINEM FALLACY?
THIS PHILOSOPHER ARGUED THAT IT WAS ALMOST NEVER JUST TO OVERTHROW YOUR GOVERNMENT, LEST HUMANITY RETURN TO OUR NASTY, BRUTISH AND SHORT PAST. SO GET USED TO IT!
WHO IS THOMAS HOBBES?
IF YOU BELEIVE THAT IT IS THE DUTY OF SOCIETY TO LOOK AFTER ITS MOST DISADVANTAGED MEMBERS, YOU WOULD PROBABLY GET ALONG WELL WITH THIS PHILOSOPHER
WHO IS JOHN RAWLS?
THIS FORM OF 'QUICK CLOTHING' IS GOOD FOR THE WALLET BUT VERY BAD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
WHAT IS FAST FASHION?
THE OPPOSITE OF FREEWILL IS THIS PHILOSOPHICAL VIEW; THE BELIEF THAT "OUR FATES ARE WRITTEN"
WHAT IS DETERMINISM?
WATCH YOUR STEP WHEN ARGUING WITH PEOPLE UTILIZING THIS FALLACY; THEY WILL TRY TO CONVINCE YOU THAT ONE ACTION OR ACTIONS WILL AUTOMATICALLY LEAD TO A CERTAIN CHAIN OF EVENTS!
WHAT IS THE SLIPPERY SLOPE FALLACY?
THIS 17TH CENTURY ENGLISH PHILOSOPHER STRESSED THAT PROPER GOVERNMENT ONLY FUNCTIONED WITH THE CONSENT OF "WE THE PEOPLE", INSPIRING THE AUTHORS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE IN THE PROCESS
WHO IS JOHN LOCKE?
RAWLS CAME UP WITH THIS SOCIAL EXPERIMENT, CHALLENGING PEOPLE TO CONSIDER WHAT KIND OF SOCIETY THEY WOULD LIKE TO LIVE IN BY IMAGINING THEMSELVES AS A BABY ORBITING THE EARTH. GROOVY MAN!
WHAT IS THE VEIL OF IGNORANCE?
ETHICS IS CLOSELY RELATED TO THIS CONCEPT, WHICH HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH DOING THE RIGHT THING...AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, KNOWING WHAT THE 'RIGHT THING' IS IN THE FIRST PLACE
WHAT IS MORALITY?
THIS MODERN PHILOSOPHER ARGUES THAT FREEWILL IS AN ILLUSION, AND THAT HUMANS ARE MORE AKIN TO HIGHLY COMPLEX PROGRAMMABLE MACHINES THAN UNIQUE BEINGS WITH SOULS
WHO IS SAM HARRIS?
YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED THIS FALLACY WHEN YOU NOTICE THAT YOUR OPPONENT IS ARGUING THAT CORELATION IS ALWAYS THIS
WHAT IS THE CAUSATION FALLACY?
THIS MASSIVE BIBLICAL SEA CREATURE IS ALSO THE NAME OF A MASSIVELY INFLUENTIAL BOOK OF POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY BUT YOU MIGHT KNOW IT AS THE BOOK WITH THE KING ON THE COVER.
WHAT IS LEVIATHAN?
THE FIRST OF NOZICK'S THREE MAIN PRINCIPLES, IT STRESSES THAT ANY PIECE OF PROPERTY IS 'FAIR GAME' SO LONG AS IT IS NOT ALREADY RIGHTFULLY OWNED BY SOMEONE ELSE.
WHAT IS THE JUSTICE IN ACQUISITION PRINCIPLE?
THIS NEW FIELD OF ENGINEERING INVOLVES DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES FOR IMPOSING HUMAN CONTROL OVER THE ENVIRONMENT, ALLOWING US TO SAVE THE WORLD FROM CLIMATE CHANGE OR ACCIDENTALLY PLUNGE THE WORLD INTO A NEW ICE AGE...DEPENDING ON WHO YOU ASK, OF COURSE!
WHAT IS GEO-ENGINEERING?
THE EXECUTION OF THIS CONVICTED CALIFORNIAN FELON IN 1982 WAS A CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION BY THE OTHER INMATES ON HIS CELLBLOCK; FOR PHILOSOPHERS, HIS LIFE HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF AN ONGOING FREEWILL DEBATE
WHO IS ROBERT HARRIS?
THIS FALLACY MAY HAVE SOMEONE WEARING LULU LEMON JUST BECAUSE ITS "IN"...OR MAYBE JUST ARGUING THAT THEIR VIEW IS CORRECT SIMPLY BECAUSE IT IS POPULAR
WHAT IS THE APPEAL TO MAJORITY FALLACY?
IT MAY JUST BE A SOCIAL CONTRACT TO YOU AND ME, BUT TO HOBBES IT WAS A SOCIAL THIS
WHAT IS 'COVENANT?'
NOZICK WAS HIGHLY INFLUENTIAL ON LIBERTARIAN THOUGHT WHEREAS RAWLS WAS HIGHY INFLUENTIAL ON THIS POLITICAL SYSTEM
WHAT IS SOCIALISM?
THIS PHILOSOPHICAL VIEW HOLDS THAT MORALITY IS HIGHLY SUBJECTIVE AND LARGELY INFLUENCED BY DIFFERENT CULTURAL STANDARDS
WHAT IS CULTURAL RELATIVISM
THE ANCIENT GREEKS AND ROMANS CAME HERE TO CONSULT WITH THE GODS BEFORE MAKING MAJOR DECISIONS; REMEMBER, REDDIT HAD NOT BEEN INVENTED YET!
WHAT IS THE ORACLE AT DELPHI?