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> Yes, these political ideologies are "bad" (I'm not naming any here, fill in your own blank), but every idea, no matter how awful you find it, deserves a voice

> Yes, these political ideologies are "bad" (I'm not naming any here, fill in your own blank), but every idea, no matter how awful you find it, deserves a voice and public judgement. Even pedophilia advocacy and Holocaust denial?

squish78 7y ago
From the HN Guidelines: "Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith. " "A straw man is a form of argument and an informal fallacy based on giving the impression of refuting an opponent's argument, while actually refuting an argument that was not presented by that opponent. One who engages in this fallacy is said to be "attacking a straw man".
deleted 7y ago
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rpmisms 7y ago
Yes. Both of those deserve to be shouted from the rooftops, considered carefully, and then praised or cursed appropriately. If someone wants to hold one of those opinions, that's their right, and doesn't give them less value as a human being.
- bjourne 7y ago
  I disagree, but I respect you for daring to answer yes on that question. Then you are not a hypocrite.
rwz 7y ago
I actually think that tabooing those topics and refusing to even discuss them makes them a lot more powerful than they deserve to be. If a topic is not discussed in public space enough, its counterpoints and refute arguments become less and less obvious and visible, which leads to people colliding with it for the first time not being mentally equipped to muster rational arguments against it out of their own brain due to not being mentally equipped or mature enough. Not everyone can recreate a hundreds of years of mental and cultural progress on the spot without any external references and talking points readily available. So if you know nothing about holocaust and encounter a convincing-looking argument that it's a hoax, it's very easy to adhere to this idea and move on with your life thinking it's the truth, especially if you don't see any moral issues with it. Tabooing controversial topics creates an ideological vacuum that is very easily gets filled with garbage. Especially if the the only actors willing to break the taboo are those who have questionable motives and pushing some sort of angle.
godshatter 7y ago
If you never hear their viewpoints, how can you effectively debunk or debate them?

squish78 7y ago

From the HN Guidelines: "Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith. " "A straw man is a form of argument and an informal fallacy based on giving the impression of refuting an opponent's argument, while actually refuting an argument that was not presented by that opponent. One who engages in this fallacy is said to be "attacking a straw man".

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rpmisms 7y ago

Yes. Both of those deserve to be shouted from the rooftops, considered carefully, and then praised or cursed appropriately. If someone wants to hold one of those opinions, that's their right, and doesn't give them less value as a human being.

bjourne 7y ago
I disagree, but I respect you for daring to answer yes on that question. Then you are not a hypocrite.

rwz 7y ago

I actually think that tabooing those topics and refusing to even discuss them makes them a lot more powerful than they deserve to be. If a topic is not discussed in public space enough, its counterpoints and refute arguments become less and less obvious and visible, which leads to people colliding with it for the first time not being mentally equipped to muster rational arguments against it out of their own brain due to not being mentally equipped or mature enough. Not everyone can recreate a hundreds of years of mental and cultural progress on the spot without any external references and talking points readily available. So if you know nothing about holocaust and encounter a convincing-looking argument that it's a hoax, it's very easy to adhere to this idea and move on with your life thinking it's the truth, especially if you don't see any moral issues with it. Tabooing controversial topics creates an ideological vacuum that is very easily gets filled with garbage. Especially if the the only actors willing to break the taboo are those who have questionable motives and pushing some sort of angle.

godshatter 7y ago

If you never hear their viewpoints, how can you effectively debunk or debate them?