Opinions/Editorials
See other Opinions/Editorials Articles
Title: The Liberal Modus Ponens Versus The Republican Modus Tollens
Source:
Blog Here Now
URL Source: http://www.blogherenow.net/
Published: Sep 25, 2011
Author: Larry A. Herzberg
Post Date: 2011-09-27 12:30:42 by lucysmom
Keywords: None
Views: 6169
Comments: 12
In my previous post, “The Republican Modus Tollens”, I pointed out that arguments apparently having the valid form (1) If P then Q (2) Not-Q (3) So Not-P allow for serious irrationality when P represents a matter of well-confirmed scientific theory and Q represents a prescriptive policy preference or a tenet of religious faith. So, to use one of the examples from my previous post, we have arguments about climate change that seem to be guided by the following pattern of thought- (1) If climate change is occurring, then we should regulate CO2. (2) We shouldn’t regulate CO2. (3) So climate change isn’t actually occurring. Of course, probably no opponent of climate change has ever explicitly made just this argument. My point is that the arguments they do make are evidently motivated by some such pattern of thought. Representing the pattern this way makes clear that they are often reasonable enough to recognize that if climate change were occurring, then we (perhaps) should regulate CO2. The problem is that they also very strongly desire not to regulate CO2 (perhaps for quite defensible reasons, such as worrying about the economic effects of such regulation), and this very strong desire against a possible policy choice, along with the normally valid modus tollens pattern of thought, leads them irrationally to deny a well-confirmed theory. In order to do so, they must massively over-weigh evidence contrary to climate change, sometimes fantasize about global conspiracies of scientists, and so on. It is this last move – the irrational denial of a scientific theory – that indicates they are being guided, at bottom, by strongly held policy positions and this modus tollens pattern of thought, or something similar to it.
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: lucysmom (#0)
I feel something like this is at play as well - but I mostly think that lobby groups employed opinion changers to come up with ways to get the public not to support CO2 control - there are many such think tanks that come up with propaganda campaigns and ways to turn phrases to win opinions like calling "iInheritance tax" a "death tax". One such campaign linked Green Laws with a covert attempt by the commies (this campaign started before the collapse of the USSR or just before it did) to destroy "industrialization" - even though communist ideology is centered around industrialization. But "Green Activist" in America came to be seen as some sort of "commie" for wanting to shut down logging to defend the spotted owl. It had nothing to do with communism of course but Americans are ignorant of what communism meant by then - they just assumed communism means anything against their status quo (like civil rights for blacks and women and gays were a commie plot). So in time this manufactured smear campaign turned into a manufactured link to the climate movement being some sort of Luddite anti-industrialization campaign by secret Marxists who plan on decimating the world's population in order to bring out a commie paradise. Or something like that.
"This is what economic policy in the West has become--a tool of the wealthy used to enrich themselves by spreading poverty among the rest of the population." Paul Craig Roberts
Deniers actually KNOW that the science is sound. They are simply willing to trade it for short term economic gain...
America...My Kind Of Place... "I truly am not that concerned about [bin Laden]..." "THE MILITIA IS COMING!!! THE MILITIA IS COMING!!!" I lurk to see if someone other than Myst or Pookie posts anything...
Do they know they're kicking the cost down the road for their children and grandchildren?
"You post articles- intellectual excrement, really- that support your inane, insipid mentality, on a regular basis. Capitalist Eric
This sums up erica's nasty little existance nicely.
They know everything...just ask them...
America...My Kind Of Place... "I truly am not that concerned about [bin Laden]..." "THE MILITIA IS COMING!!! THE MILITIA IS COMING!!!" I lurk to see if someone other than Myst or Pookie posts anything...
Nothing like demonstrating the inability of leftists to face reality. LOL. You might as well close your eyes, stick your fingers in your ears, and stamp your feet on the ground, all while screaming "it's TRUE, it's TRUE!" LOL. ***Psssssst*** Hey dummies, a little HINT for you: DUMMY DwarF: ...I'm eating a meatball... http://libertysflame.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=24347&Disp=35#C35 Hee hee, Capitalisp eDick moved me to the top of his ping list of infamy. Sniff.. sniff... what an honor... I mean.... I'm just terribly moved. Thanks erica. Now I expect at leat two cut and paste charts showing the smoke and mirror act of you bozos denying global warning for giving you this recognition for your admiration of me. ;-D
No need to demonstrate that which is already plain. Your psychotic religion of global warming is finished, and your whining and hand-wringing change this fact not at all. DUMMY DwarF: ...I'm eating a meatball... http://libertysflame.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=24347&Disp=35#C35 This is not the only place I post and two thngs work against you in my decision to not engage you fully on that topic. The first is that I find your taunting style to be tediously stupid, and the second is there are so many places I am going to expend the time and effort in a debate on global warming. And here is not one of them. So, make what declarations you want to. You are going to repeatedly do more dick waving then actual debate were we to do so anyway. So it's all good. Carry on, dumb shit.
Wow...the sun provides heat? Whoda thought? Certainly not these guys, eh JR? Figure 1: Global temperature (red, NASA GISS) and Total solar irradiance (blue, 1880 to 1978 from Solanki, 1979 to 2009 from PMOD).
America...My Kind Of Place... "I truly am not that concerned about [bin Laden]..." "THE MILITIA IS COMING!!! THE MILITIA IS COMING!!!" I lurk to see if someone other than Myst or Pookie posts anything...
Good. LOL. Declarations? Shit, I'm just stating the obvious. You're as relevant as the flat-Earth crowd 100+ years ago, and I'm ENJOYING watching you dimwits get the sh!t slapped out of you....!!!!!! It's FUN! Please, entertain me MORE, with your "global warming" predictions! Where will the next floods be? Maybe a tidal wave 1000 feet high, sweeping through Montana? Siberia turning into a vacation-destination? WHAT? Come on, I wanna' bookmark some REALLY stupid predictions from you left-wing loons, to laugh at later......!!!!!!!!!!!!
DUMMY DwarF: ...I'm eating a meatball... http://libertysflame.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=24347&Disp=35#C35 There are certainly enough past examples to laugh about, the scorching of the earth in the 30s the ice age of the 70s, etc. The purveyors of climate doom have been at it for millennia. Witchdoctors, medicine-men, shamans and all sorts of ruling class types have perpetrated the hoax for power and profit. They preyed on the emotionally fragile and intellectually deficient masses to maintain their illusion of power. Who would have thought there would be enough prey in this day and age for these power hungry con-men to still be working that scam.
#2. To: lucysmom (#0)
--GW Bush
--Sarah Palin's version of "The Midnight Ride of Paul revere"
#3. To: war (#2)
Deniers actually KNOW that the science is sound. They are simply willing to trade it for short term economic gain...
#4. To: war (#2)
"Deniers actually KNOW that the science is sound. They are simply willing to trade it for short term economic gain..."
#5. To: lucysmom (#3)
--GW Bush
--Sarah Palin's version of "The Midnight Ride of Paul revere"
#6. To: Ferret Mike, sneakypete, lucysmom, mininggold, war, Fed Mertz, A K A Stone, Badeye, jwpegler, CZ82, nolu chan, hondo68, eskimo, socalv8, Mad Dog (#4)
war: Deniers actually KNOW that the science is sound. They are simply willing to trade it for short term economic gain...
loonymom: Do they know they're kicking the cost down the road for their children and grandchildren?
rat-boy: This sums up erica's nasty little existance nicely. 
Capitalist Eric: Foreplay before the president's staff? 
#7. To: war, Capitalist Eric (#6)
#8. To: Ferret Mike (#7)
Now I expect at leat two cut and paste charts...
CHECK-MATE.
Capitalist Eric: Foreplay before the president's staff?
#9. To: Capitalist Eric (#8)
#10. To: Capitalist Eric (#6)
--GW Bush
--Sarah Palin's version of "The Midnight Ride of Paul revere"
#11. To: Ferret Mike (#9)
there are so many places I am going to expend the time and effort in a debate on global warming. And here is not one of them.
So, make what declarations you want to.
Capitalist Eric: Foreplay before the president's staff?
#12. To: Capitalist Eric (#11)
Come on, I wanna' bookmark some REALLY stupid predictions from you left-wing loons, to laugh at later......!!!!!!!!!!!!
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Mail] [Sign-in] [Setup] [Help] [Register]