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Arguments by symmetry are incredibly powerful and useful. Why do you think they don't get to the heart of things? (Granted, X must be chosen so that it is a f
by wnoise 16y ago
Arguments by symmetry are incredibly powerful and useful. Why do you think they don't get to the heart of things? (Granted, X must be chosen so that it is a fair comparison, but when it's not, that choice is what should be attacked, not the structure of the argument.)
- georgieporgie 16y agoWhat's an argument by symmetry? This, "if I X, then Y would happen," setup is dependent upon accepting various preconditions, which go conveniently unmentioned.
- wnoise 16y agoAn argument by symmetry is that something shouldn't change when some irrelevant bit is changed -- such as the identity of the actors. Yes, the preconditions for using "If I X then Y" when trying to argue that "when someone else X', then Y' " is wrong are that X' is relevantly similar enough to X, and Y' is distinctly different than Y.