In Praise of Personal Attacks...

Some personal attacks are entirely fair and helpful... Freedomain Radio - www.freedomainradio.com

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• freedomain
• radio
• debating
• debate
• philosophy
• stefan
• molyneux

[Brassmouth]

Could someone point me to that Marx podcast? I can't seem to find it...

[stefbot]

You can do a search on my website /search :)

[barrywilliamsmb]

Thanks Stef - I love the way you explain concepts and your use of multiple examples is a great way to drive the point home. I will definitely become a financial supporter.

I'm also intrigued with the criticism of this video. Do all your videos generate such wrath?

[stefbot]

Thanks for your offer of a donation/subscription... :) Yes, it could be said that my vids are a little antagonistic to some...

[Rybot9000]

Dude, I just watched your Free-will series and you did nothing but posture yourself as morally superior to determinists. Furthermore, you ban people who do not agree with your morals. It smacks of an aspiring cult-leader, plagued by confirmation bias and an intense superiority complex. By your usage of ad hominem, this is a completely ligitimate reason to reject your views and, as if you have done yourself, to make my criticisms public.

[stefbot]

Hahaha, oh seriously -- are you going to accuse ME of ad hominem attacks, after a rant like that? Thank you, you truly made my day! :) Also, you might want to try spelling it 'legitimate.'

[D4Shawn]

Crap! Does this mean I have to abandon writing my new book on "getting chicks"?

[qtronman]

I disagree with the idea that if one says, for example, that the government shouldn't be involved in the education industry yet he at the same time works in a government-funded school, that one should attack him for that. If you want to teach professionally at a very high level in Canada, you don't have many options but to work in a government-funded school.

[betolimoun]

I was wondering if this would be a valid argument: Stef supports the state he claims to be evil by paying his taxes therefore Stef is not credible and logical consistent.... (?)

[jeffiek]

I'm surprised. You've missed the distinction between an ad hominem attack and a legitimate question of credibility.

The former says the claim is false *because* of the speakers character. The latter says the speaker is not credible, although it the claim be true. The former is a logical error, the latter is simply a tool to help filter the immense amount of claims.

[MrFreeCookie]

wow stef, I knew you liked to ramble but this is ridiculous. Next time I think 1 or 2 examples should suffice.

[statoilx]

Thank you so much for all your videos!

[Valelacerte]

@qtronman Perhaps you don't feel the same way two years on, but if, for instance, someone said that it was immoral to fund or support oppressive regimes, but then took a job within that regime, I think it would be fair to consider that person a hypocrite that doesn't really live the principles that they profess to have. I complain about my employer, sometimes consider their behaviour unethical and immoral, but continue to support them, hence I am also a hypocrite. It's just about being honest.

[cutselfnotable1]

I'm a new follower, and I believe that you are my hero.

[vspqbd]

If anything else, I notice statists have zero qualms about using ad hominems against us. "You're too naive", "You've never had a job, go live in the real world." etc, I suppose at the very least this would even out the odds.

4:55 - Actually, it could very well be the person was 1000 pounds before, and is now down to 400 pounds.

As for the doctor, it could also be he has an allergic reaction to it that you don't have.

The homeless guy might be telling what not to do so you don't end up like him.

[djerkwad]

Stef Maul for Sith Lord!

[NemaselsNeo]

In otherwords, it's about bringing hypocrisy to the light of our awareness...

Amen man! That's been my rallying cry ever since I was little! Admittedly, I saw it everywhere & was eventually bullied into keeping my mouth shut (developing my own hypocrisies through this very behavior), but to this day I continue to gratefully engage in people willing to look honestly at me as well as themselves.

Thanks Stefan, it's good to hear that pointing out hypocrisy is actually sane & common sense! :-)

[AzureFlameElk]

@onecoolcat43

Inductive logic does deal with probability, but this method of 'ad hominem examination' will not lead you to a strong conclusion. The information one gathers from accessing another individual's character is entirely circumstantial if not outright false.

I agree with Stephan that we must utilize assumption in order to function in society, but we must also realize that any and every assumption we make might be completely false.