Question

...
FormerRedditor

Appeal to (dis)respect

I imagine that this would likely fall under appeal to emotion , but I submit this to the group for other opinions. I multiple instances I've seen people use the reasoning that, if an argument is perceived as disrespectful towards a revered person/group, it must be false, or vice versa. I few I've seen.

Andy: There's no reason gay people shouldn't be able to donate blood.

Boris: There is a reason. According to statistics, gay and bisexual men in the US are significantly more likely to be infected with HIV.

Andy: That's homophobic.


Ciara: According to historians, George Washington was particularly unkind to his slaves.

Dean: That's not true, they're just trying to tarnish the reputations of the founding fathers.


Earl: OJ Simpson was found not guilty, so he didn't do it.

Fred: A not guilty verdict doesn't mean he didn't do it. In fact, a lot of the jurors thought he probably did it, but that there was reasonable doubt.

Earl: It's really disrespectful to the justice system to say the jurors didn't do their job correctly.

asked on Saturday, Jun 10, 2023 04:07:26 PM by FormerRedditor

Top Categories Suggested by Community

Comments

Want to get notified of all questions as they are asked? Update your mail preferences and turn on "Instant Notification."

Uncomfortable Ideas: Facts don't care about feelings. Science isn't concerned about sensibilities. And reality couldn't care less about rage.

This is a book about uncomfortable ideas—the reasons we avoid them, the reasons we shouldn’t, and discussion of dozens of examples that might infuriate you, offend you, or at least make you uncomfortable.

Many of our ideas about the world are based more on feelings than facts, sensibilities than science, and rage than reality. We gravitate toward ideas that make us feel comfortable in areas such as religion, politics, philosophy, social justice, love and sex, humanity, and morality. We avoid ideas that make us feel uncomfortable. This avoidance is a largely unconscious process that affects our judgment and gets in the way of our ability to reach rational and reasonable conclusions. By understanding how our mind works in this area, we can start embracing uncomfortable ideas and be better informed, be more understanding of others, and make better decisions in all areas of life.

Get 20% off this book and all Bo's books*. Use the promotion code: websiteusers

* This is for the author's bookstore only. Applies to autographed hardcover, audiobook, and ebook.

Get the Book

Answers

...
TrappedPrior (RotE)
0

The common theme with the various examples of this response is that they deviate from the question "is this true?" and pivot towards "is this offensive [to me]?", which is of course answered in the affirmative. The offensiveness of the claim they are objecting to is then used to deny the truth of the claim.

Andy: There's no reason gay people shouldn't be able to donate blood.

Boris: There is a reason. According to statistics, gay and bisexual men in the US are significantly more likely to be infected with HIV.

Andy: That's homophobic.

Andy's response is the political correctness fallacy. It should be noted that Boris's response may also fall under the ecological fallacy if it is used to justify denying an individual the chance to give blood merely based on their membership in a category that's more likely to be infected with HIV.

Ciara: According to historians, George Washington was particularly unkind to his slaves.

Dean: That's not true, they're just trying to tarnish the reputations of the founding fathers.

Sounds like the ad hominem (circumstantial). The historians are predisposed to make the claim, therefore it is declared false.

Earl: OJ Simpson was found not guilty, so he didn't do it.

Fred: A not guilty verdict doesn't mean he didn't do it. In fact, a lot of the jurors thought he probably did it, but that there was reasonable doubt.

Earl: It's really disrespectful to the justice system to say the jurors didn't do their job correctly.

'Disrespect' has nothing to do with the truth of the claim. Also notice the strawman fallacy where Earl claims Fred suggested the jurors "didn't do their job correctly", which Fred never said.

answered on Sunday, Jun 11, 2023 02:58:39 AM by TrappedPrior (RotE)

TrappedPrior (RotE) Suggested These Categories

Comments