FAIL! Because you found something difficult to understand, or are unaware of how it works, you made out like it’s probably not true.

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personal incredulity

Because you found something difficult to understand, or are unaware of how it works, you made out like it’s probably not true.

Complex subjects like biological evolution through natural selection require some amount of understanding before one is able to make an informed judgement about the subject at hand; this fallacy is usually used in place of that understanding.

Example: Kirk drew a picture of a fish and a human and with effusive disdain asked Richard if he really thought we were stupid enough to believe that a fish somehow turned into a human through just, like, random things happening over time.

Though shalt not commit logical fallacies!

The most important reason to understand logical fallacies is to keep them out of our own arguments.

The Constructive Curmudgeon: Smart

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How to get smarter:

1. Make and listen to distinctions such as “all,” “some,” “most,” “always,” “never,” and others. This keeps you from noetic nuttiness.

2. Realize that ideas have logical implications. They do not stand alone.

3. Know that a true statement must agree with every other true statement. Continue reading →

Galactic Roundup 20.May.2013

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It just never stops:

Three Ubuntu releases reach end of life, from LWN.net by jake

Three releases of Ubuntu reached their end of life on May 9, 2013, which means they will no longer receive updates of any kind. Users of Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (“Hardy Heron”), Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Desktop (“Lucid Lynx”), andUbuntu 11.10 (“Oneiric Ocelot”) should upgrade.
I guess I’m going to have to “get off the pot” and update my notebook.

Privacy is Gradaully Coming to an End

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I do not mean to be sensationalist or to come across as panicking by reposting this. This is just the way the world inevitably goes with time.

Surveillance and the Internet of Things, by Bruce Schneier

The Internet has turned into a massive surveillance tool. We’re constantly monitored on the Internet by hundreds of companies — both familiar and unfamiliar. Everything we do there is recorded, collected, and collated — sometimes by corporations wanting to sell us stuff and sometimes by governments wanting to keep an eye on us.

Ephemeral conversation is over. Wholesale surveillance is the norm. Maintaining privacy from these powerful entities is basically impossible, and any illusion of privacy we maintain is based either on ignorance or on our unwillingness to accept what’s really going on. Continue reading →

15 Reasons We Should be Teaching Logic in Schools

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[I just had to copy the post wholesale. It was too good to not share!]

Why We Need Logic in Schools, Ken Samples

Logic, the science of evaluating arguments, helps order the mind and enhances reasoning abilities. Thus, a logically oriented mind is better prepared to discern truth. The following 15 quotes are a sample of actual statements I’ve heard from students throughout my 20+ years of teaching at the college level. Many of the statements are funny but they also demonstrate the need we all have to order our thinking by studying logic rigorously. As a professor, I greatly enjoy helping my students grow in their understanding of logic, especially as it applies to the big questions of life. My hope is that when students leave my class, they’ll leave with better means of supporting their ideas and perspectives.

  1. “I hate to say it, but the truth is that there is no truth.”
  2. “All truths are half-truths.”
  3. “I’m certain you can never know anything for certain.” Continue reading →

Moses Avoided Writing of the Trinity

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Interesting observations from Geochristian:

  1. Moses talked to Jesus face-to-face before writing Genesis, so personally knew God as a Trinity - Genesis 1:2
  2. Creation was witnessed by The Holy Spirit, and Jesus was with Him - Genesis 1:2
  3. Creation was made through Jesus – Genesis 1:1
  4. Jesus created at God the Father’s command to “let” – Genesis 1:3 Continue reading →

How Stupid is the American Public? CNN says 58%

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CNN Breaking News, 20.May.2013

A new CNN/ORC International poll shows that President Barack Obama remains popular and a majority of Americans continue to think he is honest and has managed the government effectively, while the tea party movement got a boost after being targeted by the IRS.

The survey was taken last week after the IRS, Benghazi and Associated Press controversies marked one of the worst weeks for the White House. It asked if Obama is a strong leader, with 58% saying he is, Continue reading →

Anonymous Cincinnati IRS official: “Everything comes from the top.” | Mobile Washington Examiner

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http://m.washingtonexaminer.com/anonymous-cincinnati-irs-official-everything-comes-from-the-top./article/2530001

“We’re not political,’’ said one determinations staffer in khakis as he left work late Tuesday afternoon. “We people on the local level are doing what we are supposed to do. . . . That’s why there are so many people here who are flustered. Everything comes from the top. We don’t have any authority to make those decisions without someone signing off on them. There has to be a directive.” [emphasis original] Continue reading →

Thoughts on President Obama’s comments today: 16.May.2013

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A couple of CNN Breaking News emails highlighting and commenting on the interesting points:

CNN Breaking News, 11:46 AM 16.May.2013

to textbreakingne.
President Obama says he has “complete confidence in Eric Holder” and that “he is an outstanding Attorney General.”

Holder has been under fire because the Justice Department obtained phone records of The Associated Press from 2012 as part of an investigation of classified leaks.

The president also said today he isn’t apologizing for cracking down on leaks of classified information that can jeopardize U.S. troops and intelligence officers.

Obama called for consideration of a new “shield law” for the press. He added that he was unable to comment specifically on the Department of Justice’s secret subpoena of phone records of The Associated Press because of an ongoing investigation.

1) Holder has been under fire because the JD obtained phone records of AP journalists and reporter? What about Holder being under fire for the “Fast and Furious” ATF Continue reading →

Galactic Roundup 16.May.2013

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Print Your Gun Parts at Home, from Reason.com by J.D. Tuccille

In February, the techie gun-rights group Defense Distributed unveiled a 3D-printed lower receiver for an AR-15 rifle that withstood hundreds of rounds of fire. A YouTube video of the component in action was accompanied by the terse statement, “Does not fail from firing stresses. 600+ rounds.”

The Public/Private Surveillance Partnership, from Schneier on Security by Bruce Schneier

Our government collects a lot of information about us. Tax records, legal records, license records, records of government services received– it’s all in databases that are increasingly linked and correlated. Still, there’s a lot of personal information the government can’t collect. Either they’re prohibited by law from asking without probable cause and a judicial order, or they simply have no cost-effective way to collect it. But the government has figured out how to get around the laws, and collect personal data that has been historically denied to them: ask corporate America for it.
Continue reading →

FAIL! You avoided having to engage with criticism by turning it back on the accuser – you answered criticism with criticism.

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tu quoque

tu quoque

You avoided having to engage with criticism by turning it back on the accuser – you answered criticism with criticism.

Pronounced too-kwo-kwee. Literally translating as ‘you too’ this fallacy is also known as the appeal to hypocrisy. It is commonly employed as an effective red herring because it takes the heat off someone having to defend their argument, and instead shifts the focus back on to the person making the criticism.

Example: Nicole identified that Hannah had committed a logical fallacy, but instead of addressing the substance of her claim, Hannah accused Nicole of committing a fallacy earlier on in the conversation.

Though shalt not commit logical fallacies!

The most important reason to understand logical fallacies is to keep them out of our own arguments.