 |
| Lake Como, Italy-trekearth |
Preface
This article is part of my Pirie, entry by entry, book review, published originally October 10, 2015. Edited with additions for an entry on academia.edu, March 23, 2024.
PIRIE, MADSEN (2006)(2015) How To Win Every Argument, Bloomsbury, London.
Arguing On The Internet: Pirie
'In regard to arguing on the internet'. Pirie (2006)(2015: 22). Arguments can take place 'in the comments responses to blogs'. Pirie (22). I will add for 2024, on websites and on social media. Further he states 'Not many people who read blogs bother to go through the comments section, below them', (22). He explains that those who do comment are not likely a typical reader. (22). 'Interested minority' (22) is the what he states in regard to persons that comment. Those who comment may be very opinionated and have their minds made up and what takes place in comments is a form of 'jousting'. (22). As these types of readers are set in their views, the object in writing blog comments is not so much to change the views of others but to score intellectual points. (22).
As I have noted with the rise of Facebook and far more social media options, my Blogger website comments drastically declined over the years, to virtually nil. In fact, my Blogger website posts are previewed on a Facebook Business page, Russell Norman Murray, PhD which would more likely receive any related comments, but the number of comments are few.
Blogger pageviews for both this website and my other related Blogger website, Satire Und Theology. vary from year to year in amount, but according to official Blogger statistics, both websites still receive thousands of pageviews most months. I am fine with the change from basically a blog format to a website format, as I have transitioned from full-time student, part-time employee to full-time, government employee and part-time scholar. I still do the academic work, mostly on the weekends, and listening to messages and reading during the week, but frankly I do not have the time or energy for answering many comments. I need to also be more in-person social than while I was a student.
Pirie opines that in blog comments the 'level of courtesy is much lower than would be expected in face-to-face confrontation'. (22). True enough in many cases and it should be remembered by those claiming a public Christian faith, philosophy and walk that Biblical views on love, truth, morality and ethics would in no way be altered because an interaction was virtual and not actual! Similarity, those of non-Christian worldviews should also seek consistent morality and ethics in both offline and online contexts. The author mentions internet trolls and their ability to hide online and be abusive to online writers. (22). I reason there is too much 'hiding' online in many contexts, rather than dialogue, but being an internet troll is cowardly and distasteful, especially when ad hominem, against the person, attacks are used. I do realize that there is online fear in other contexts, such as women being defensive in protecting their identity and motives.
I reason that many people hold to views too emotionally and subjectively, as opposed to seeking a more rational, objective approach to propositions/statements, and as well premises that lead to conclusions. I trust that rationally and objectively, everything that I have is from the Lord, and that everything I do not have is from the Lord. I therefore can read and listen to views I do not agree with rationally and objectively, not trusting primarily in myself as the source of truth, but in the Lord as the source of the truth. This gives me peace whether I agree or disagree with the views of others. The following verse from the NASB (and an interesting bonus, technical explanation) is at the core of my worldview.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) John 14: 6
6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.
Cited
'Did you ever notice this little asterisk in your New American Standard Bible?
This is what the NASB says it’s doing: “A star (*) are [sic] used to mark verbs that are historical presents in the Greek which have been translated with an English past tense in order to conform to modern usage.” For example, instead of, “They go into Galilee,” which is a literal translation of the Greek, the NASB will have, “They went* into Galilee,” which is more natural in contemporary English.'
'This article was originally published in the January/February 2021 issue of Bible Study Magazine. Slight adjustments, such as title and subheadings, may be the addition of an editor.'
End citation
Pirie advises blog writers to keep blog comments short and factual. (22). Short comments are not difficult to present as the Blogger format is meant to limit the length. Being factual should be absolutely, positively essential for academic websites such as mine. Revising material where and when necessary. Publicly note it where and when necessary. The author also claims response should be 'immediate'. (23). Deal with an issue while relevant and I agree. Again, seeking to be rational and objective, in my case prayerfully, through grace through faith (notably Ephesians 1-2).
Ad hominem: Blackburn
Blackburn writes that ad hominem is an attempt to argue against a person by personal attack, less commonly by praising a person, or it may or may not be forceful attacks against a person's position but they do not advance matters intellectually against a person's beliefs and views. Blackburn (1996: 24).
Ad hominem: Walton
Douglas Walton explains that argumentation ad hominem is an argument against the man. It is a personal attack against an arguer to refute the argument. In the abusive form the character of the arguer is attacked. These arguments are often used to attack an opponent unfairly. Walton (1996: 374). In other words, it is an informal fallacy, to use name-calling and abusive actions to attempt to win an argument. A formal fallacy is concerned with presenting a logical form to avoid being fallacious, and an informal fallacy occurs when there are errors in reasoning with a premise (s) and conclusion.
Ad hominem: Pirie
Ad Hominem/Against the Man
'If you cannot attack the argument, attack the arguer.' Pirie (2006)(2015: 122). The author states that an insult in itself is not fallacious, (122) but ad hominem is used in a way to attempt to undermine an opponent's argument. (122). The argument is not treated by its merit. (122). Therefore, in my opinion, someone could be rightly and justly called a 'jerk' because he/she is acting in such a negative way in an argument and this would not be the use of the fallacious. An informal fallacy being the use of poor and invalid reasoning. The invalid structure of argument is a formal fallacy. But if someone is called a 'jerk' in an attempt to undermine the opponent's argument then it is fallacious.
Ad Hominem Argument Circumstantial
With this fallacy 'the appeal is to the special circumstances of the person with whom one is arguing. Instead of trying to prove the contention true of false on the evidence, its acceptance is urged because of the position and interests of those appealed to.' (124).
Cited
'You can't accept the legitimacy of lending for profit. You are a Christian, and Christ drove out the money lenders from the temple.' (124). Pirie explains that the Christian is invited to agree because of Christian convictions. (124). I agree that this would be fallacious argumentation. Jesus Christ in the biblical context is removing the business of moneychanging and related banking from the temple. This should not be expanded to Christian theology and philosophy where all moneychanging, money lending and banking is therefore considered, sinful, immoral and unethical. In other words, banking outside of the temple, or in our modern context, the Christian Church, is not necessarily sinful, immoral and unethical. Interestingly, the British author also documents the example of nominal Christians that in reality do not follow biblical views in their personal lives. The nominal Christian could then be 'forced into a reluctant and resentful acquiescence you could never have gained otherwise.' (125). Problematically, many nominal Christians are biblically illiterate to the point where he/she may very well be unaware whether Jesus Christ's actions of removing moneychanging and banking from the temple, in the New Testament Gospels, would therefore require a modern-day Christian theology and philosophy that is anti-lending and anti-banking. Context is extremely important within Biblical Studies.
Tu quoque
A type of ad hominem. Tu quoque means 'you also'. (201). This fallacy is committed by the claim that the proponent is guilty of what he/she accuses the opponent of. (201). This fallacy does not adequately deal with the subject under discussion. (202). Premises and conclusions do not reasonably deal with and resolve the subject under discussion. The truth or falsehood of the discussion is avoided and instead the background of the proponent, making the argument, is attacked by the opponent. (202). As well, the opponent may attempt to demonstrate inconsistency in the proponent's position, again without dealing without reasonably resolving the issue. (202). The previous views of the proponent are claimed to be inconsistent with present views. (202).
BLACKBURN, SIMON (1996) Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
COURSON, JON (2005) Application Commentary, Thomas Nelson, Nashville.
BLACKBURN, SIMON (1996) Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
COURSON, JON (2005) Application Commentary, Thomas Nelson, Nashville.
ELWELL, WALTER AND YARBROUGH, ROBERT W., Third Edition (2013) Encountering The New Testament, Grand Rapids, Baker Academic.
FOULKES, FRANCIS (1989) Ephesians, Grand Rapids, Inter-Varsity Press.
GUNDRY, ROBERT (1981) A Survey of the New Testament, Grand Rapids, Zondervan.
HARPUR, GEORGE (1986) Ephesians in The International Bible Commentary, Grand Rapids, Zondervan.
NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. ORR, R.W. (1986) 'The Letters of John' in The International Bible Commentary, Grand Rapids, Zondervan.
PIRIE, MADSEN (2006)(2015) How To Win Every Argument, Bloomsbury, London.
WALTON, DOUGLAS (1996) ‘Informal Fallacy’, in Robert Audi, (ed), The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Perhaps tҺe best one is to loѕe weight quickly and safely.
ReplyDeleteFrom: Arlene Blake
ReplyDeleteMy uncle's wife is German, and has relatives and many friends living in Germany, where she visits often. The following came from them:
I have friends in Europe and one of them directed me to the following today. This is an eyewitness story from a doctor working in Germany at a Munich hospital, a retired physician from the Czech Republic who went to work there because they needed additional help. This is part of her email from Germany:
--------------EMAIL FROM GERMANY ---------------
Yesterday, at the hospital we had a meeting about how the situation here and at the other Munich hospitals is unsustainable. Clinics cannot handle emergencies, so they are starting to send everything to the hospitals.
Many Muslims are refusing treatment by female staff and, we women are refusing to go among those animals, especially from Africa. Relations between the staff and migrants are going from bad to worse. Since last weekend, migrants going to the hospitals must be accompanied by police with K-9 units.
Many migrants have AIDS, syphilis, open TB and many exotic diseases. If they receive a prescription in the pharmacy, they learn they have to pay cash. This leads to unbelievable outbursts, especially when it is about drugs for the children. They abandon their children with pharmacy staff with the words: “So, cure them here yourselves!” So the police are not just guarding the clinics and hospitals, but also large pharmacies.
ReplyDeleteWhere are all those who had welcomed in front of TV cameras, with signs at train stations? Yes, for now, the border has been closed, but a million of them are already here and we will definitely not be able to get rid of them.
Until now, the number of unemployed in Germany was 2.2 million. Now it will be at least 3.5 million. Most of these people are completely unemployable. A bare minimum of them have any education. What is more, their women usually do not work at all. I estimate that one in ten is pregnant. They have brought along infants and little kids under six, many emaciated and neglected. If this continues and German re-opens its borders, I’m going home to the Czech Republic. Nobody can keep me here in this situation, not even at double the salary that I make at home. I went to Germany, not to Africa or the Middle East.
ReplyDeleteEven the professor who heads our department told us how sad it makes him to see the cleaning woman, who for 800 Euros cleans every day for years, and then meet young men in the hallways who just wait with their hand outstretched, want everything for free, and when they don’t get it they throw a fit.
I really don’t need this! But I’m afraid that if I return, that at some point it will be the same in the Czech Republic. If the Germans, with their nature cannot handle this, there in the Czech Republic it would be total chaos. Nobody who has not come in contact with them has any idea what kind of animals they are, especially the ones from Africa, and how Muslims act superior to our staff, regarding their religious accommodation.
ReplyDeleteFor now, the local hospital staff has not come down with the diseases they brought here, but, with so many hundreds of patients every day – this is just a question of time.
In a hospital near the Rhine, migrants attacked the staff with knives after they had handed over an 8-month-old on the brink of death, which they had dragged across half of Europe for three months. The child died in two days, despite having received top care at one of the best pediatric clinics in Germany. The physician had to undergo surgery and two nurses are laid up in the ICU. Nobody has been punished.
ReplyDeleteThe local press is forbidden to write about it. What would have happened to a German if he had stabbed a doctor and nurses with a knife? Or if he had flung his own syphilis-infected urine into a nurse’s face and so threatened her with infection? At a minimum he’d go straight to jail and later to court. With these people – so far, nothing has happened.
And so I ask, where are all those greeters and receivers from the train stations? Sitting pretty at home, enjoying their non-profits and looking forward to more trains. If it were up to me I would round up all these greeters and bring them here first to our hospital’s emergency ward, as attendants. Then, into one building with the migrants so they can look after them there themselves, without armed police, without police dogs who today are in every hospital here in Bavaria.
ReplyDelete-------------- END EMAIL FROM GERMANY ---------------
Obama and Kerry want to bring 200,000 or more of these people to the United States.
Our own Department of Homeland Security and the FBI have indicated that they cannot vet these people. Our own intelligence agencies have indicated that something over 5% are probably going to be ISIS infiltrators. All of the issues described above notwithstanding, in addition (and more importantly) do we really want over 10,000 committed terrorists spread across the country in addition to these other problems as described above?
Justin Trudeau and Tom Mulcair were invited to speak to a Grade 5 class at a local elementary school.
ReplyDeleteThe illustrious Party Leaders arrived as the class was in the middle of a discussion of words and their meanings.
The teacher asked Mr. Trudeau and Mr. Mulcair to lead the discussion on the word 'tragedy.'
Mr. Trudeau asked, "Class, who can give me an example of a 'tragedy'?"
A little boy stood up and said, "If my best friend, who lives on a farm, is playing in the field and a tractor runs him over and kills him, that would be a tragedy."
"No," said Mr. Mulcair, "that would be an accident."
A little girl raised her hand and said, "If a school bus carrying 50 children drove off a cliff, killing everyone, that would be a tragedy."
"I'm afraid not," explained Mr. Trudeau. "That's what we would call a great loss.”
The room went silent. No other child volunteered.
Mr. Mulcair asked, "Isn't there someone here who can give me an example of a tragedy?"
Little Johnny raised his hand. The teacher held her breath.
In a quiet voice Little Johnny said, "If both of you were in a plane that was struck by a 'friendly fire' missile and blown to smithereens, that would be a tragedy."
"Fantastic!" exclaimed Mr. Trudeau. "That would be a tragedy."
Mr. Mulcair asked, "Can you tell me why that would be a tragedy?"
"Well," says Little Johnny, "It has to be a tragedy, because it sure as hell wouldn't be a great loss, and you can bet your sweet ass it wouldn't be an accident either!"
The teacher left the room.
Trudeau makes me think of a young man that wants to be PM like Daddy and has been trained to state the right things...
ReplyDeleteLegacy over substance.
“Imaginary evil is romantic and varied; real evil is gloomy, monotonous, barren, boring. Imaginary good is boring; real good is always new, marvelous, intoxicating.”
ReplyDelete-Simone Weil, Gravity and Grace
Last Second
ReplyDeleteA minister waited in line to have his car filled with gas just before a long holiday weekend.
The attendant worked quickly, but there were many cars ahead of him in front of the service station.
Finally, the attendant motioned him toward a vacant pump. "Sorry about the delay. It seems as if everyone waits until the last minute to get ready for a long trip."
The minister chuckled, "I know what you mean. It's the same in my business."
…..Docs Daily Chuckle (docsdailychuckle@associate.com) by way of “Christian Voices” (ChristianVoices@att.net)
“As a Muslim mother who never saw a niqab when I was growing up in Karachi, Pakistan, I am astonished to see Canada’s judiciary caving in to Islamists who have ...nothing but contempt for Canada’s values of gender equality.
ReplyDelete“I write this as a Muslim Canadian who does not have any specific political leanings. But in the 25 years I have called Canada home, I have seen a steady rise of Muslim women being strangled in the pernicious black tent that is passed off to naïve and guilt-ridden white, mainstream Canadians as an essential Islamic practice.
“The niqab and burka have nothing to do with Islam.
“They’re the political flags of the ‘Muslim Brotherhood’, ‘ISIS’, the ‘Taliban’, ‘al-Qaida’ and Saudi Arabia.
ReplyDelete“Now, I learn I have not only to fight the medieval, theocratic adherents of my faith for a safe space for myself, I have to battle the Federal Court of Canada as well, which has come out on the side of these facemasks.
“The ruling concerns the case of Zunera Ishaq, a 29-year-old woman who emigrated to Canada from Pakistan in 2008.
“After previously showing her face to an immigration official in 2013 when taking her citizenship test, she refused to take part in the citizenship ceremony because she would have to show her face while taking the oath of citizenship.
“Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government rightly banned face masks at such ceremonies, but this was found to be unlawful by the Federal Court.
“With all due respect, let me introduce our Canadian judges to their Pakistani colleague in the jihadi badlands of Peshawar.
ReplyDelete“In November 2004, the Chief Justice of the ‘Peshawar High Court’ (PHC), Tariq Pervaiz Khan, ordered female lawyers not to wear face veils in courtrooms, saying they couldn’t be identified, nor assist the court properly while wearing veils.
“He scolded the niqabi women, saying,“You are professionals".
“Covering the face is not a religious requirement for Muslim women.
“The injunction in the Qur’an is for modesty (for men and women).
“Some Muslim women interpret this as covering their head with a scarf or ‘chador’.
“A scholar of Islamic history, Prof. Mohammad Qadeer of Queen’s University, Kingston, wrote in the ‘Globe and Mail’ in March, 2006:
“The argument about concealing one’s face as a religious obligation, is contentious and is not backed by the evidence.”
He added,
“in Western societies, the niqab also is a symbol of distrust for fellow citizens and a statement of self-segregation.The wearer of a face veil is conveying: ‘I am violated if you look at me.’
“It is a barrier in civic discourse. It also subverts public trust.”
“The federal Liberals and NDP are treating Canada’s niqabis as a latter day Rosa Parks, fighting for justice.
“This is ‘vote-bank’ politics that is, as my friend Tarek Fatah calls it, “sharia Bolshevism”.
ReplyDelete“There is just one way forward: The next government must legislate the complete ban on wearing face masks in public, not just to expose the hypocrisy of the Islamists but for the sake of our security, as well.”
--‘Ban niqab, burka in all public places’,
Raheel Raza, Toronto Sun, September 15, 2015
twitter.com/raheelraza
(Raza is President of ‘The Council for Muslims Facing Tomorrow’, author of “Their Jihad … Not my Jihad” and an international activist for women's rights)
http://www.torontosun.com/…/ban-niqab-burka-in-all-public-p…
“Life has no other discipline to impose, if we would but realize it, than to accept life unquestioningly. Everything... we deny, denigrate or despise, serves to defeat us in the end. What seems nasty, painful, evil, can be a source of beauty, joy and strength, if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to realize it as such.”
ReplyDelete-Henry Miller, The Henry Miller Reader
“For me, the challenge of middle age was not to stand still.”
ReplyDelete-Jon Katz, A Dog Year
ReplyDeleteDear DrRuss,
WOW!!!!, I find you here,i am so excited to find you here,you know, when i oepn your profile, my heart beat faster and faster, and my heart almost drop out from my chest,and there is a voice from the bottom of my heart tell me" yes, its you, its you! its you". I could not say any words of excitment.
Do you have a kind of familiar feeling to see me here? Do you want to know who am i?
I am a tender and easy going girl,i am a cheerful person and i enjoy the outdoor and nature , when i have time, i will
go out to run, dance and do some exercise, it can give me have a healthy body,and i can take pleasure from it.also i can cook well,it is so sweet and happy to cook for those who we love,its the most happiness thing in the world to share delicious foods with family.
I dream have a warmly and happiness family, so i am here looking for a sincere,responsible,loyal and mature man.
i would like to built our love garden with him,and accomany him the rest of our life,Now i meet you here, i know you are the one i am looking for,i want to catch this chance ,let us built our future life hand in hand, i will share my all love and happy to you.
Am i the one you are looking for?are you interested in me? Do you want to know me more?
Please feel free to contact me, let us start our first step to our love!
yours sincere
Judy
Hey DrRuss,
ReplyDeleteI hope I can steal at least one small portion of your attention?:)) Just read my letter and you will not regret about it. I believe in love and happy relationships! I'm kind and open person and I try to share my optimism with the entire world. Life is so fast so there is just no time to wait.
I think that I’m happy person in general, because I have the friendly and wonderful family; I do the job that I like in my life, I reached by my own a lot of in it already and live by my own. I have the friends whom I can trust and they will do the same about me every second, because I do not cheat people. I dream to have the man in my life and to share all events and emotions between each other, to make the plans for the future and make them true step by step.
I can be different, but one thing will never change - I know how to love and to show my love to my man!
I need a man who wants to have strong family relations. I like passion and I suppose intimacy is a very important part of life, but I want to share it with beloved person.
Are you searching for the same things here?
What do you think of starting our communication? What is ideal relationship you want to have?
I am looking forward to have your reply,
Kisses and hugs Evgenia
Well, at least these actresses know my name...
ReplyDelete