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The Recreational Value of Logical Fallacies
14 years ago
General
(inb4 dear princess celestia)
Having been around the block a few times, figuratively speaking, on this wonderful wide world of teh internets, one comes to notice a kind of cycle, a kind of growth progression of its denizens. You've got some folks who are genuinely oblivious and like what they like and simply can't be arsed to consider anything outside their narrow spectrum of interest (aka the lucky ones :p), then you have those who discover their soapbox for the first time and discover the bittersweet treasure of arguing with people for no good reason other than the joy of being right; these make up what I perceive to be the loudest segment of the demographic. Above that, you have those who no longer care about being right, but just looove riling up the loud ones and causing drama--the trolls. Trolls also enjoy targeting the next tier as well: Those who at least attempt to engage in some form of decorum and civility--those who attempt to employ logic, reason, critical thinking, and a tendency to try to debate things on a fair and level playing field, or as level as they can get it with at least a due diligence attempt. These individuals tend to care less about being right or being wrong but about discovering the truth, whatever it may be.
Beyond all of these--
And I must stress that there is no implication of 'betterness' here between these groups that I am referring to as tiers except my own personal appreciation for them!!
--is a last group that I don't think I've really bothered to actually identify as a group at all, really.
Right now I'm at a point where I can seek what I want from the internet without concern, (Haters Gonna Hate)
While at the same time finding capacity to actually appreciate the spectacular flame wars, (It's funny when they do)
And being able to communicate, when I feel like it, in a clear and clean manner while remembering to at least attempt at avoiding the construction of straw men, succumbing to confirmation bias, or indulging in blame for blame's sake...
But I've learned that, even if you're aware that you're doing it, building a straw man argument is fun. Lighting a straw man ablaze is like a communal event, because even if it misrepresents your opposition, it IS clearly representing your own opinion OF that opposition--it says more about ones' self than it says about ones' rivals, and as long as you know this and accept it, not only can you enjoy its cozy glow and toast some metaphorical marshmallows, but also see it as a satirical caricature of the self.
I've learned that schadenfruede is an incredible sensation--the kind of glorious, righteous fury and satisfaction you feel when someone GETS IT when, in your eyes, they really really had it coming. Again, it's dangerous if you don't realize it's going on, but now that I have, it's almost become a hobby of mine where I can construct an entertaining 'what-if' pretense around a situation to make it at least FEEL like it was what deserved to happen. It really scratches an itch. A really, really really deep itch!
And sometimes, you really just want to hear more perspectives on how you already feel about something. This is where confirmation bias, specifically, comes into play. We all love being preached to when we're the choir. It's important to realize: There is absolutely nothing wrong with loving it, either! Just as long as you remember to prevent it from influencing your actual rational decisions. It's like junk food, but calorie free.
I'd like to think, acknowledging that I may be wrong, that we could all afford to laugh at ourselves a little more. There is so very much potential for personal growth and a whole lot of fun! You owe it to yourself to give it a try.
Having been around the block a few times, figuratively speaking, on this wonderful wide world of teh internets, one comes to notice a kind of cycle, a kind of growth progression of its denizens. You've got some folks who are genuinely oblivious and like what they like and simply can't be arsed to consider anything outside their narrow spectrum of interest (aka the lucky ones :p), then you have those who discover their soapbox for the first time and discover the bittersweet treasure of arguing with people for no good reason other than the joy of being right; these make up what I perceive to be the loudest segment of the demographic. Above that, you have those who no longer care about being right, but just looove riling up the loud ones and causing drama--the trolls. Trolls also enjoy targeting the next tier as well: Those who at least attempt to engage in some form of decorum and civility--those who attempt to employ logic, reason, critical thinking, and a tendency to try to debate things on a fair and level playing field, or as level as they can get it with at least a due diligence attempt. These individuals tend to care less about being right or being wrong but about discovering the truth, whatever it may be.
Beyond all of these--
And I must stress that there is no implication of 'betterness' here between these groups that I am referring to as tiers except my own personal appreciation for them!!
--is a last group that I don't think I've really bothered to actually identify as a group at all, really.
Right now I'm at a point where I can seek what I want from the internet without concern, (Haters Gonna Hate)
While at the same time finding capacity to actually appreciate the spectacular flame wars, (It's funny when they do)
And being able to communicate, when I feel like it, in a clear and clean manner while remembering to at least attempt at avoiding the construction of straw men, succumbing to confirmation bias, or indulging in blame for blame's sake...
But I've learned that, even if you're aware that you're doing it, building a straw man argument is fun. Lighting a straw man ablaze is like a communal event, because even if it misrepresents your opposition, it IS clearly representing your own opinion OF that opposition--it says more about ones' self than it says about ones' rivals, and as long as you know this and accept it, not only can you enjoy its cozy glow and toast some metaphorical marshmallows, but also see it as a satirical caricature of the self.
I've learned that schadenfruede is an incredible sensation--the kind of glorious, righteous fury and satisfaction you feel when someone GETS IT when, in your eyes, they really really had it coming. Again, it's dangerous if you don't realize it's going on, but now that I have, it's almost become a hobby of mine where I can construct an entertaining 'what-if' pretense around a situation to make it at least FEEL like it was what deserved to happen. It really scratches an itch. A really, really really deep itch!
And sometimes, you really just want to hear more perspectives on how you already feel about something. This is where confirmation bias, specifically, comes into play. We all love being preached to when we're the choir. It's important to realize: There is absolutely nothing wrong with loving it, either! Just as long as you remember to prevent it from influencing your actual rational decisions. It's like junk food, but calorie free.
I'd like to think, acknowledging that I may be wrong, that we could all afford to laugh at ourselves a little more. There is so very much potential for personal growth and a whole lot of fun! You owe it to yourself to give it a try.
