The combat of words [Note: Content Warning - discusses harm and wrongdoing]

In my last post, I asked: 

At what point do we pass from reasonable education through false claims of not understanding to playing their vicious gaslighting games?

It is a serious question about the combat of words - and, on top of that question, I’ve seen decent people pause over calling out problematic behaviour because they were uncertain about whether or not they were going to be criticised as well - that’s a reflection of the vehemence of those opposing decency (more on them shortly) and also a reflection of the fact that many people are not taught how to be effective with words. 

At this point, those who are familiar with fighting using words (including me) may risk drifting into the irrelevant and, frankly, useless argument of saying everyone should learn rhetoric. Yes, they should - in school. When you’re coming across and having to use this for the first time in one of the many everyday battles that are going to shape this world, you need something that is quickly and easily digested and used. 

And a course on an aspect of philosophy ain’t that. 

We are seeing guides on “how to argue better” and so forth, but these tend, in my opinion, be too generic and vague to be useful. 

If someone says “I think taxes are too high”, the necessary response is either “taxes pay for roads and garbage collection also”, or “I disagree” - not an exposition of which flaws of logic that criticism of taxation, the “price we pay for civil society”, encapsulates. 

The guides are better on the climate crisis, but they all fall down on matters of personal conduct that extend beyond financial wrong doing, IMO. 

Yes, if those involved had been taught rhetoric at school they would be able to identify and refute flawed arguments (which does not mean debates wouldn’t happen, as the opponents would also have learned - but at least they would hopefully offer fair dinkum arguments instead of the current rubbish, and we would hopefully get close to a realistic assessment of evidence vs. rubbish [and there’s a whole other series of posts on that!!)), but that isn’t what is needed. 

In many cases, what is needed is a genuinely good moral code and the courage to call out behaviour that conflicts with that code. 

Of course, the problem there is that the neochristian and neoliberal/neocapitalist religions have used their power to set their systems of greed and power up as if they were moral codes - which they aren’t. 

Away from my Pagan-ish belief system, I consider the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) to be a valid starting point for a moral code - but even there, it can be useful to have a little knowledge, such as the prior philosophical survey which identified that the values underlying the UDHR are Universal, and those despots who claimed they conflicted cultural values were using the lessons they had learned from white supremacist colonisers and flat out LYING for the purposes of maintaining their power.

They were acting to protect something that caused harm. 

On the other hand, those of the ilk of the relatively small in number extremists who did their utmost to prevent the US government starting its job have been described as nihilists - they want to destroy for the sake of destroying, which, in my view, makes them truly evil: their actions are harming and killing people, including through the climate crisis, the appalling proliferation of guns in the USA, and their willingness to latch on to any form of bigotry and subvert any attempt at decency to suit their purposes. 

And their number include pseudo-journalists, including many at “conservative” far right wing extremist mainstream media.

Now, in terms of fighting against wrongdoing in the combat of words, sometimes people are too tired, or have demands on their time which mean they cannot effectively fight back - or, in work situations, doing so may put their family’s income at risk. In those circumstances, others need to take up the fight. 

Others: unions (as long as they don’t do harmful things like allow psychological abuse in the cause of pursuing physical safety above all else - posts on that in the future), advocates (including members of minorities, who often are forced to do their own advocacy on top of coping with the abuse they receive), and so on.

On the advice of my doctor, I will be taking early retirement at some stage this year. When I do that, I hope to have the time, energy and wherewithal to dive into some of the detail of political speeches, etc, and call out some of these unchallenged, or ineffectually challenged statements.

In doing so, my biggest hurdle will be making sure I don’t fall foul of defamation laws - being right is not always an adequate defence, but there is also the possibility of me being wrong, and the horrendous expense of legal action, even if I were to win.

In the meantime, I will continue with these smaller battles. 

And here are links to some of my articles that may assist in reflection on this topic: 

• “Review and lessons from TimeGhost Army’s “Rise of Evil - From Populism to Fascism””; 
• “lifestyle vulnerabilities”; 
• “The moral abyss we're being herded in to by the media and political parties of the 1950s”;
• “Are modern, middle class Westerners cowards?”;
  
• “The superficiality of some activists”;
• “"Pushing through" is an emotional and irrational act, fast-tracking is a cover up, and what makes us human - including the climate crisis”; 
• “Choices in a democracy - including inaction / foolish action / allowing evil”; 
• “Housing and voting turnout”; 
• “The Crime of Indifference”; 
• “Moving beyond lip service in human rights”.
  

Possible flaws 

Where I can, I will try to highlight possible flaws / issues you should consider: 

• there may be flawed logical arguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan  Myers’ free online course “Clear and Present Thinking”; 
  
• I could be wrong - so keep your thinking caps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.
  

 

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Finally, remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing.