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Is this an example of a complex Question

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Original Question

I always felt that the tone and language used in these questions while I believe is a total red herring. They feel loaded and by saying Yes your almost admitting some kind of fault. Questions during an argument that includes  Well don’t you think we need diversity of opinion? Don’t you think I’m entailed to my opinion? What is something you changed your mind about recently ? Each one of these feels so irrelevant as my position and arguments on my worldview including why I think Astrology is wrong or Creationism is wrong has nothing to do with people having opinions. 

Comments on Question

I see the examples that Alex provided as an attempt at intellectual bullying where all kinds of red-herrings and other specious arguments/talking points are brought into the discussion with a view to emotional manipulation. They don't really do anything to address the topic at hand but instead try to pound or push their opponent into submission by appealing to their emotions.  Yes, the need for diversity of opinion and being entitled to one's opinion all sound good on the surface, but these statements can also be used in a manipulative way to get people to agree to a postion that is untenable.   

Answers

3

Taken for what the ask, I agree with Shawn that these questions could approach ad hominem (abusive) in that some of them may be intended to attack the person making the argument rather than the argument itself.


Rationalissimus' observations address what the questions say literally and hit the mark.


Beyond those comments, I was caught by what the questions DON'T say – what they could be taken to imply.  While none of the questions rises to the point of "Have you stopped beating your dog?", some of them could carry negative implications that could take the argument away from its intended path.


Well don’t you think we need diversity of opinion? One answer could be, "No, diversity of opinion is bad is we don't need it."; another could be, "Yes, diversity of opinion is good, so we need to work to achieve it."; another could be, "Yes, diversity of opinion is good and that's why we put together such a diverse group in the first place to deal with the issue."  If the third response is the one that actually relates to the situation, then asking the question could be a disingenuous attempt at implying diversity isn't already at play.


Similarly, Don’t you think I’m entailed to my opinion? could be an attempt to imply that the argument is only opinion-based, rather than fact-based.


What is something you changed your mind about recently?  could be taken to imply that the person refuses to accept alternate opinions, even when mind-changing evidence is presented – something not related to the point of discussion but to the individual's reticence to accepting alternate conclusions.

"I'm Entitled To My Opinion" is a recognized fallacy since it's a way of asserting a conclusion without actually supporting it with arguments.   en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%2. . .


Well don’t you think we need diversity of opinion?



Nothing wrong with this on the face of it - you could easily answer yes or no without having to accept anything substantial. You'd just explain what you think 'diversity of opinion' looks like afterwards.



Don’t you think I’m entailed to my opinion?



Again, fine on its own. In context this might be a red herring if the main topic isn't about whether someone is entitled to their opinion or not.



What is something you changed your mind about recently ?



Yes, this does imply that you changed your mind about something recently. However, it doesn't come across as malicious to me, since there's no "accusation", just a suggestion. You could say "nothing as of late", and it wouldn't come across as incriminating.


 

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