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The Piketty Phenomenon
- notacoward 12y agoIn informal-logic terms this is known as genetic fallacy[1], a category which is close to ad hominem and includes almost any form of trying to address an argument by discrediting the source. The particular sub-fallacy involved here is known as attribution of motive. Brooks assumes, without evidence, that Piketty's motivation is pandering to the upper middle class, and all of his other pseudo-arguments flow from that. I guess Brooks has tired of pandering to the upper middle class himself, and is setting his sights on pleasing the elite by answering the Piketty threat. Oh wait, didn't I just try to dismiss Brooks's argument by attributing ulterior motives to him? Isn't that awful of me? Yes, it is, just as it was when he did it to Piketty. Except that he really meant it to be taken seriously, and I was just illustrating a point. [1] http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/genetic-fallacy.html http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/genetic-fallacy.htm...
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]