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buellerbueller 18 hours ago

It is an important observation, and a reminder: evaluate positions on their merits, and not who is taking the position.

deathanatos 17 hours ago | parent | next [-]

While I agree (and I agree with the upstream comments, too), there's often deeper reasons why we can short circuit fully evaluating an argument made on its merits: often the "merits", or lack thereof, are derived from the party's values and beliefs, and if we know those values to be corrupt, it's likely that subsequent arguments are going to be similarly corrupt.

There's only so much time in the day, only so much life to live. Could a blog post written by the worst person you know have a good point, even though it's titled something like "An argument in favor of kicking puppies" by Satan himself? I mean, true, I haven't read it, yet. There could be a sound, logical argument buried within.

This is also what "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" teaches, essentially. Trust is hard-won, and easily squandered.

"A lie is around the world before the truth has finished tying its shoes."

"Flood the Zone" is why some of us are so exhausted, though.

In these instances, the argument has to come from someone who is self-aware enough of the short-circuit to say "okay, look, I am going to address that elephant" — but mostly, that's not what happens.

Thankfully in this case, all we need get through is the title.

buellerbueller 37 minutes ago | parent [-]

I don't care about people's values, unless I am evaluating them; that's their own business, and I am not the value police or thought police. Goodness knows there are people (hi, mom!) who are appalled by some of my values.

Roman Polanski and Woody Allen: terrible humans, but they have still made some of the best films that exist.

platevoltage 13 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

It's also important to read the fine print when the perceived good position is coming from a guy who tried to sue Tylenol over autism.

This guy does nothing good on purpose.

buellerbueller 42 minutes ago | parent [-]

>It's also important to read the fine print

It's always important to read the fine print. That would be part of evaluating an argument on its merits. His lawsuit over Tylenol + autism is easily rejected on its merits. That means nothing about this issue.