I need the words for what I’m thinking. Help!
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Original Question
“In a democracy, we have to worry about the ignorance of the uneducated. Today we have to worry about the ignorance of people with college degrees.”
Premise: “In a democracy...”
Conclusion: “Today we have to...”
I can’t quite put it into words, I’d like some help.
First “ignorance” of “uneducated” are saying the same thing twice, is there a term for that? It’s meaningless but how do I prove it?
Also this meaningless phrase becomes analogous to “ignorance” of “college degrees” with college degrees implying “educated” which is misleading.
Therefore it’s means “ignorance of the educated”
Compared to “ignorance of the uneducated”
Therefore only ignorance matters and this is rhetoric designed to denigrate the perception of people with higher education.
Is it tautological?
Also it’s too general. Ignorant of what and educated in what?
I’d love some useful terminology and specific fallacies if there exists some that fit this. An Iron man fallacy?
Thanks!
Premise: “In a democracy...”
Conclusion: “Today we have to...”
I can’t quite put it into words, I’d like some help.
First “ignorance” of “uneducated” are saying the same thing twice, is there a term for that? It’s meaningless but how do I prove it?
Also this meaningless phrase becomes analogous to “ignorance” of “college degrees” with college degrees implying “educated” which is misleading.
Therefore it’s means “ignorance of the educated”
Compared to “ignorance of the uneducated”
Therefore only ignorance matters and this is rhetoric designed to denigrate the perception of people with higher education.
Is it tautological?
Also it’s too general. Ignorant of what and educated in what?
I’d love some useful terminology and specific fallacies if there exists some that fit this. An Iron man fallacy?
Thanks!
Answers
2I don't see a fallacy as much as I see a statement without any support. The first statement is not a premise and the second is not a conclusion; both are simply statements without any logical support. If you're looking for ways to counter what the other person has said, ask him "Why do you say that?"
I think Jim Tarsi nailed it. However, I think your question is missing something. Is THIS what you meant to quote?:
Those words are apparently attributed to a right-wing propagandist named Thomas Sowell -- twitter.com/thomassowell/. . .
I don't know what Sowell's quote was in reference to, but higher education is traditionally viewed as a bastion of liberalism. Therefore, right-wingers like to bash college students, while liberals bash the FBI, military and "mainstream" powers.
However, it still doesn't sound like a fallacy (to me). The first sentence is arguably true, at least in part; there have always been uneducated people, though the degree to which we have to worry about them may be questionable.
Whether or not contemporary college students are "ignorant" is a matter of opinion. Though I'm no fan of Sowell, I'm ironically inclined to agree with him. Public education is quite a racket and has become a major conduit for propaganda. If you'd like to have a professor who was pals with Jeffrey Epstein, try Harvard, which is a cesspool of corruption.
However, Sowell would probably defend Harvard; his derision is aimed at liberal college students.
Looking at it from another perspective, we might ask if Sowell thinks college students are being brainwashed with liberal ideas, or does he think higher education in general breeds ignorance? Like I said, he would probably defend Harvard.
The icing on the cake: I just learned that Sowell attended - take a wild guess - Harvard! Moreover, he got a degree in economics. Harvard-trained economists rank among some of the biggest monsters on the planet (not to mention Harvard law professors who chummed around with Epstein).
So if we agree that Sowell is primarily targeting LIBERAL college students, then one of the key words may be "today." Is he simply recognizing the fact that lots of Americans have college degrees nowadays, or is he suggesting that colleges have become more liberal?
Another key word is "ignorance." Does Sowell really believe liberal college students are lacking in education, or does he simply not like them because they have values and opinions that differ from his?
In summary, Sowell says uneducated people are a flaw in any democracy before stating his opinion that modern liberal college students are a threat to American Democracy today. I kind of feel like there is a fallacious argument in there somewhere, but I can't wrap my head around it. Now that we have the original quote, maybe someone can give us a final verdict. ;)
In a democracy, we have always had to worry about the ignorance of the uneducated. Today we have to worry about the ignorance of people with college degrees.
Those words are apparently attributed to a right-wing propagandist named Thomas Sowell -- twitter.com/thomassowell/. . .
I don't know what Sowell's quote was in reference to, but higher education is traditionally viewed as a bastion of liberalism. Therefore, right-wingers like to bash college students, while liberals bash the FBI, military and "mainstream" powers.
However, it still doesn't sound like a fallacy (to me). The first sentence is arguably true, at least in part; there have always been uneducated people, though the degree to which we have to worry about them may be questionable.
Whether or not contemporary college students are "ignorant" is a matter of opinion. Though I'm no fan of Sowell, I'm ironically inclined to agree with him. Public education is quite a racket and has become a major conduit for propaganda. If you'd like to have a professor who was pals with Jeffrey Epstein, try Harvard, which is a cesspool of corruption.
However, Sowell would probably defend Harvard; his derision is aimed at liberal college students.
Looking at it from another perspective, we might ask if Sowell thinks college students are being brainwashed with liberal ideas, or does he think higher education in general breeds ignorance? Like I said, he would probably defend Harvard.
The icing on the cake: I just learned that Sowell attended - take a wild guess - Harvard! Moreover, he got a degree in economics. Harvard-trained economists rank among some of the biggest monsters on the planet (not to mention Harvard law professors who chummed around with Epstein).
So if we agree that Sowell is primarily targeting LIBERAL college students, then one of the key words may be "today." Is he simply recognizing the fact that lots of Americans have college degrees nowadays, or is he suggesting that colleges have become more liberal?
Another key word is "ignorance." Does Sowell really believe liberal college students are lacking in education, or does he simply not like them because they have values and opinions that differ from his?
In summary, Sowell says uneducated people are a flaw in any democracy before stating his opinion that modern liberal college students are a threat to American Democracy today. I kind of feel like there is a fallacious argument in there somewhere, but I can't wrap my head around it. Now that we have the original quote, maybe someone can give us a final verdict. ;)
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