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Straw man is not the best concept to evaluate arguments in the world of tweets where every potential argument can be exemplified without nuance or detail by 140
by xanados 14y ago
Straw man is not the best concept to evaluate arguments in the world of tweets where every potential argument can be exemplified without nuance or detail by 140 characters. If you are considering writing an essay (or ascertaining the truth of a situation) you should be focused on the best possible argument your opponent could be making, even if it's better than the argument they ARE making. The best possible argument they could make is a better representation of the reality you actually face (i.e. the reality as distinct from the argument you are having; the real reality that you want to come to have an understanding of, and doesn't care that you are arguing about it).
I personally don't think this article addressed AT ALL the best or most nuanced arguments mounted by the the opponents to Sparrow's actions, and I say this as someone who hadn't heard of Sparrow before today and thus doesn't have much of a dog in this fight (Although I am generally predisposed to the notion that people can do whatever they want with their own apps).