Bunker Logic and Reason tidbit. Not a full lesson. Just a quick morsel.
One of the most frustrating things in the current anti-logic climate. It happens in every comment section… It is a form of “begging the question” that is also used to reverse the burden of proof:
Post: *Correctly states that the government is making an extraordinary demand (B) based on an extraordinary claim (A) and the burden of proof of (A) is on the one making the extraordinary claim.
*Comment: “But why would they do B if A isn’t true?” *thereby attempting to reverse the burden of proof based on assuming the antecedent.* All subsequent comments and discussions now go along with this reversal of the burden of proof and the assumption that A must be true or government wouldn’t make the claim.
This tactic is becoming so commonplace it is alarming, and people just go along with it.
Example:
Post: “The government now says that freedom of speech causes penguins to explode and therefore demands that tech companies limit any speech that runs contrary to government narratives. because… penguins. But the burden of proof is on the government to prove the claim about penguins, THEN prove that it has the authority to do what it is doing regardless of the effect on penguins.”
Comment: “So, why would the government do this? Why come up with some elaborate lie? Just to fool us for no reason? If the government is trying to limit free speech, it must be because penguins are at risk. We must save the penguins.”
Subsequent comments: *All arguing over why the government would do it.*
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