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[gunslnger]

Everyone should read and understand this:
5 Logical Fallacies That Make You Wrong More Than You ThinkI think they pretty much apply to everyone here, although some are more guilty than others. Do you think it would be helpful to have a list of common fallacies numbered on the comm user info so that we could just refer to that when someone commits

Comments

[abomvubuso]

Well, we do have a couple of links put on the comm sidebar, one is of a list of logical fallacies (which I think should be updated because it doesn't seem to work; I'm open to suggestions for a new source), and the other a good write-up on Derailing A Conversation For Dummies).

[abomvubuso]

http://derailingfordummies.com/ Here's the Derailing "tips" list.
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/ This link is apparently no longer available.

oh the paiiiin

[rick_day]

TBH I find the link insulting. As a result of the link you posted, I feel like a Marginalized Person™ too.

And since that is like the worse thing that can befall a human, I demand you sooth my butt hurt

signed - white, hetro, paternalistic, better off than you

Re: oh the paiiiin

[luzribeiro]

I'm not sure about the last part. :)

[notmrgarrison]

"'Reasoning doesn't have this function of helping us to get better beliefs and make better decisions,' said Hugo Mercier, who is a co-author of the journal article, with Dan Sperber. 'It was a purely social phenomenon. It evolved to help us convince others and to be careful when others try to convince us.' Truth and accuracy were beside the point."

I'm going to guess this was written by a psuedo-science academic who's never invented anything, started a business, or other activities where reasoning helps a great deal in finding better beliefs and making better decisions. Of course he's used resoning in his own life to do those things, but he has a theory. Perhaps he's projecting. We didn't make it to the top of the food chain simply because we could convince other people we were right.

[yes_justice]

The author posits that there exists an selection pressure causing these fallacies. I didn't notice him demonstrate one other than the assertion:

Back when evolution was still sculpting your ancestor's brains, admitting you were wrong to the person you were debating got you bred out of existence.

How? Do women avoid breeding with men who admit they are wrong?

[notmrgarrison]

I think it's that when you admit that you're wrong, the other person kills you.

[a_new_machine]

And here I thought that getting killed by the other guy was how most arguments ended, not in an admission of who's right and wrong. Hunh.

[yes_justice]

Nice read. 90 million per terrorist victim. Jebus.

[fizzyland]

Ugh, too many references to evolutionary biology, this doesn't work when relationship columnists use it, and I'm certainly not going to accept those premises when reworked for this.

[a_new_machine]

I think you mean evo psych, because evo bio is pretty well-established and all...

[fizzyland]

My bad - what you said.

[mahnmut]

Hands off, t_p was first! The TP stole our abbreviation. I call rip-off! The Koch bros will be hearing from my lawyers soon.

[nairiporter]

I am sure they are trembling right now!

[mahnmut]

They better!

[notmrgarrison]

Toilet paper was first.