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>I don't see how ad hominem by progressives is any better than someone dismissing research data because of "links" to think tanks funded by George Soros, etc.
by longerthoughts 8y ago
>I don't see how ad hominem by progressives is any better than someone dismissing research data because of "links" to think tanks funded by George Soros, etc.
Are you saying association with a partisan think tank is equally as damning as association with white nationalism?
It's an issue of morality. Being morally bankrupt should probably challenge somebody's credibility more than having stances on policy that some don't agree with.
- cwkoss 8y agoMoral bankruptcy isn't necessarily transitive. How many degrees of separation from a white nationalist must one be in order to be moral?
- longerthoughts 8y agoI would argue that it is transitive but diminishes in proportion to the degrees of separation and depends upon both awareness and the nature of the association. For example, discounting somebody's moral standing for knowingly befriending a pedophile seems more reasonable than discounting their moral standing because their cousin unknowingly befriended a pedophile.
- drak0n1c 8y agoPlease read my comment closely. I said neither are "damning", because ad hominem shouldn't be considered a reason to "damn" ideas in an unrelated policy debate. Especially unsubstantiated allegations about a second or third degree connection.
- fzeroracer 8y agoI have more than substantiated my allegations and I would easily argue this goes beyond a second or third degree connection.
- longerthoughts 8y agoI agree that ad hominem attacks are overwhelmingly used to evade the responsibility of substantive debate. The problem is that policy debates are not purely objective and in reality people weigh presented perspectives and evidence according to the perceived credibility of a given source. As a result, information that speaks to the soundness of a person's judgement has a place in policy debate as a means of drawing conclusions in the absence of indisputable facts. We're all placing faith in something that determines what we call truth and what we call lies or ignorance.