WorldWide Drilling Resource

The Un-Comfort Zone II by Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. Protect Yourself from Verbal Sleight of Hand A few years ago [July 2013 WWDR ], I wrote about a Facebook exchange among two friends of mine which upset me because one of my friends resorted to name-calling instead of addressing the other friend's arguments. In retrospect, it was mild. More recently, I've been shocked by some disturbingly excessive name-calling in the comment sections of articles I've read, and it was directed at other com- menters. The name-calling is bad enough, but the number of people who find it to be an acceptable method for engaging in debate is appalling. No one is going to be motivated or persuaded by it. My April 2018 WWDR article was on the importance of critical thinking in our age of information overload. Developing the ability to judge the accuracy or truthfulness of the information we receive is important because there are many people - seeking power or profit - who will say anything to push their agenda. We must protect ourselves from the lies, propaganda, and fake news we get. People seeking power and influence will use verbal trickery to convince you to accept their point of view. They will speak confidently with tones of authority so you won’t scrutinize their words too carefully. You can protect yourself by learning to recognize their logical and rhetorical fallacies (false/mistaken idea). Here are the most common: Ad Hominem Attack or Name-Calling: They will attack their opponent by attaching a negative label to them, rather than sup- port their argument or opinion with facts. Ad Populum or Bandwagon: The proponent will argue that you should agree because everyone is doing it. They want you to feel left out, or encourage you to try to “keep up with the Joneses.” I’ll never forget my mother shutting this argument down by asking me: “If all your friends jump off a cliff, are you going to follow?” Appeal to the Stone: In this fallacy, they will dismiss an argument as absurd (or unworthy of serious consideration) without giving any proof or reason for believing it is absurd. Cherry Picking or Card Stacking: They will omit key information to slant a position in their favor. In this case, you are re- ceiving a partial truth and you will have to do your own research to find out the rest. False Analogy: The proponent will present two things as being similar - even though they are not. False Dilemma: They will present only two options as if these were the only choices. It is also called an "Either/Or" argument because it offers no middle ground and disregards compromises, alternatives, or new ideas. Straw Man: The proponent will distort or misrepresent their opponent’s position, then proceed to attack this false and fab- ricated viewpoint instead. This creates the illusion the opponent’s argument has been refuted, when only a straw man has been knocked down. Red Herring: They will ignore a question, topic, or argument and attempt to shift the discussion/debate to a separate issue which he or she is more comfortable addressing. False Cause: The proponent will suggest that because two events are related, one caused the other to happen. It’s impor- tant to remember that correlation and/or coincidence do not prove causation. Hasty Generalization: They will use a sample size which is too small to support an overriding conclusion, or to declare a universal principle. Appeal to Authority: The proponent will use a famous person to endorse his position. You must ask yourself what this celebrity knows about the issue, and what they have to gain from it. It’s one thing to attempt to persuade someone with facts, but it’s fraudulent when someone starts twisting them. Arm yourself against these fallacies by knowing and understanding how they work. Many times, you won’t know a fallacy has been used until you do your own research and verify the information for yourself. Once you have mastered these, there are many more fallacies you can learn about by search- ing online. Keep these handy; you'll be able to use them every day. You can also use them for a fun drinking game during political debates. Every time you catch one, you get to take a shot! Robert Robert is an author, humorist, and innovation consultant. He works with companies that want to be more com- petitive and with people who want to think like innovators. For more information on Robert, visit www.jumpstartyourmeeting.com or contact him via e-mail to michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com 16 JUNE 2018 WorldWide Drilling Resource ®