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"A good response to an argument is one that addresses an idea; a bad argument is one that silences it." That doesn't make any sense. People with bad ideas freq
by alexqgb 12y ago
"A good response to an argument is one that addresses an idea; a bad argument is one that silences it."
That doesn't make any sense. People with bad ideas frequently fall to silence when the discussion of countervailing good ideas makes them sound like idiots if they persist. Indeed, that's how good ideas (eventually) win.
What you're describing as "a bad argument" isn't really an argument at all. It's the abandonment of argument in favor of a personal threat.
[EDIT: "threat of violence" changed to "personal threat" to remove confusing specificity.]
- spindritf 12y agoThis has not been my experience but either way, let's say someone pronounces that 2+2=7. You could respond with "it's actually 4" (address the idea) or "anyone who believes 2+2=7 should be fired" (attempt to silence it, without violence though). There's a pretty clear difference between the two approaches.