Today we wish to examine a fallacy, or error in reasoning, which we have found springing up now and again in today's popular discourse about the so-called War On Terror. This one comes straight from the top -- well, not the VERY top -- but from Washington D.C. You have heard the President say it on national teevee, and so have we: "We either have to fight them [the terrorists] over there [i.e. Iraq], or we have to fight them over here [i.e. inside the U.S. border]."
Now we have chosen to examine this particular Bushism because, here, Mr. Bush has offered quite the textbook example of what informal logic-addicts call, a "false disjunction," or simply the "either-or" fallacy. To commit this error in reasoning, you only need to oversimplify a range of many options, reducing it to a pretended range that limits them to two logically-possible options only.
For instance, isn't possible that, if the U.S. pulled its troops from Iraq, using many of them to assist with border patrol duties, that we could avoid fighting "them" here by not letting them in, and yet not fight them "there" either? Now, to be sure, many will hasten to point out that they see this as impractical, ill-advised (for whatever reason), etc. My only point remains this: the option I have mentioned is logically possible. And I could imagine quite a few others.
For instance, the U.S. could spend a handsome little sum on policing our domestic internal affairs, and arrest all terrorists before they can do any harm. We have already arrested quite a few of them here without any fight whatever. One might argue that bloodless arrests seem much better, not to mention a good deal cheaper, than national invasions where the whole countryside gets shot up.
Now, if the U.S. can act with pre-emptive success in Iraq (for the president has suggested many times that it can), why can it not do so also much closer to home? But if the U.S. cannot do so on its home turf, why should anyone think they can do it in Iraq?
Remember, I do not mean to argue here against the U.S. presence in Iraq, but only to critique one particular reason offered for it by the president. He has, after all, listed quite a few different reasons for the invasion, at different times -- which may or may not be a good thing.
For today, then, let the reader take away this lesson in the logic of popular discourse -- never reduce a range of many possible options to two only, unless you prepare well enough to show that the others do not represent truly logical options. Otherwise, you will have committed the either-or fallacy.
Carson Day has written approximately 1.3 gazillion articles and essays, many with very insightful, if alternative, viewpoints. He presently writes for Ophir Gold Corporation, and specialized in the history of ideas in college. He has been quoted in the past as saying "What box?" and remains at large despite the best efforts of the civil authorities.
You can visit the Ophir Gold Corporation blogsites at http://scriberight.blogspot.com (Writing With Power), http://scriberight.blogspot.com (OGC's Free Web Traffic), or http://scriberight.blogspot.com (Church and State 101)
Culver prom limo ..Last year a Maryland State Legislator whom I presume never... Read More
Ok, here is what happened: On March 31, 2005, Pat... Read More
We learned some lessons in these last few wars. For... Read More
Throughout all recorded history on our lovely little planet, Earth's... Read More
In discussing the OODA Loop theory on Limited War by... Read More
The newest pebble reactors are easy to build and manage... Read More
It cities across America water is an issue, the flow... Read More
In these times when states are suffering extreme downward pressure... Read More
The Federal trade Commission has a rule, which says that... Read More
Rush is right! The government's stepped up bid to regulate... Read More
As the death toll in the avalanche-hit Jammu and Kashmir... Read More
Former Governor of Alaska, Jay Hammond, died at age 83,... Read More
Recently I got to talking with a gentleman at a... Read More
Conventional warfare is getting to its limits. Soon wars will... Read More
Death may not be dignified in any light but the... Read More
Three years ago I published a book of short stories... Read More
When were the forms of media created? When did advertising... Read More
Forest Vegetation Simulations for Fire Prevention, Healthy Forest and Saving... Read More
All to often law makers and regulators create rules and... Read More
30 years ago, California, later followed by other states, decided... Read More
It is time for a change. A change in philosophy,... Read More
I heard on the news this week how America continues... Read More
Why is it that every single thing government does; it... Read More
We have known of the innate characteristic need of members... Read More
Even the most devout proponents of free marketry and hidden... Read More
Wood Dale limo ..From the comfort of their plush offices and five to... Read More
We are seeing some trade wars brewing as American trade... Read More
The filibuster has been a tool available to U.S. Senators... Read More
One of my favourite pieces of music is the Sex... Read More
It is important as populations expand to work on the... Read More
Long Term Environmental Effect of Plastics, Composites and Other Materials... Read More
The offshore financial centres have been forced in recent years... Read More
"When you are right you cannot be too radical; when... Read More
I have witnessed a new era of security in the... Read More
With respect to the States' databases, you may not locate... Read More
They do not allow the criticism of the president in... Read More
According to a postulate made by Ignacio Ramonet ecological resources... Read More
The second amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees every American... Read More
When North Americans discuss Cuba, they always focus the intense... Read More
One way to increase evaporation in the ocean might be... Read More
The filibuster as a political delaying tactic has been a... Read More
The Federal trade Commission has a rule, which says that... Read More
Michael Moore asserts the following in his political film Fahrenheit... Read More
The paper industry in the US is hurting. Due to... Read More
It is widely known in the Homosexual Male Populations that... Read More
Just as everyone has breathed a sigh of relief at... Read More
You say, you want to help the Palestinians, but most... Read More
Throughout all recorded history on our lovely little planet, Earth's... Read More
Streamlining Homeland Security with a Free market flair? An idea... Read More
We have brain drain issues in Silicon Valley, we have... Read More
Political |