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Sunday, February 28, 2010

If you don't believe in 'X,' then don't 'X'

John C. Wright explores a favorite anti-morality and anti-rational trope of "liberals" and libertarians, which is commonly encountered in the old "If you don't believe in abortion, then don't have one" pseudo-argument.

In the comments, The Deuce offers an especially amusing reformulation of the pseudo-logic: "If you don't like carbon emissions, don't emit any!"

How long, Gentle Reader, do you think we'll have to wait for the "liberals" to follow the logic of their own "argument" when it comes to that particular score?

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I won't hold my breath...

Ilíon said...

*grin*

Foxfier said...

I have a heck of a time getting ANYONE I disagree with to follow the logic of their own argument... although a lot will try to turn it around with a misrepresentation.... (example: if abortion is bad, then why don't you want to lock any woman that might get pregnant in a totally safe holding cell and force her to have only exactly what is needed for the baby's sake?)

Of course, I also have the bad habit of arguing with folks if I think their argument is weak (no matter what I believe) and the entire "water boarding is torture" argument has taken me from "not sure" to "no, it's not" simply from the utter lack of supporting arguments, and the huge number of flat-out lies....

Ilíon said...

I more than suspect that that difficulty is precisely because they see that if they do follow the logic, they must end up in absudity. And, *that* means that the flaw is in either their logic or their premises, which means that the conclusion they want to support is not supported, or even is false.

People aren't stupid; they just just play Stupid on RL.

MathewK said...

"If you don't like carbon emissions, don't emit any!"

I've said the same thing to leftists on whaling

If you don't like whaling, then don't kill any whales!"

All i got was stony silence and i'm sure i heard it, the gnashing of teeth.

Ilíon said...

True enough, MK.

"Liberals" tend not to make arguments ... for if they did, they'd stick with the logic of their pseudo-arguments when that logic delivers unwelcome conclusions. Or, realizing that the logic they've been asserting is invalid and illogical, they'd drop it and look for a real argument.

Instead, they tend to assert their pseudo-arguments when they like the "conclusion," and ignore their very own logic when they don't like the conclusion.


But, perhaps you've overlooked the humor in The Deuce's formulation -- he's using their own illogic to tell them to drop dead.