3 is a big deal. Specifically, one really problematic thing that people do when trying to convince other people is to define a word just slightly different then everyone else is defining it, and then construct arguments around that word defined in that way that then are hard for humans to take apart. This is common in politics; a libertarian definition of “violence” is different from the common one, for example, in such a way as to subtly change the assumptions of the argument in a way that is invisible to most (the libertarian definition assumes that taxation is inherently “violence”, but that using force to defend your property is not “violence”.) You might agree or disagree with those assumptions, this post isn’t meant to start a political debate, but I think it’s always harmful to clear logic thinking when people hide their assumptions that way.
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with defining a word in a certain way if everyone in the conversation already understands and agrees with that definition, but when people don’t, it can be a sneaky way of hiding your argument’s real weak points (perhaps even from yourself).
Well, taxation has the threat of violence, in that if you don’t pay your taxes you will eventually be caught and sentenced to jail for tax evasion… hmm, maybe I should do a “The definition of X” series. They should really be wiki pages though, not posts...
Well, taxation has the threat of violence, in that if you don’t pay your taxes you will eventually be caught and sentenced to jail for tax evasion
Yeah, I understand the logic behind it, but still most people would not include “taxation” within their definition of “violence”. Many people would consider taxation by a democratically elected government to be legitimate; people may not like it, but they don’t consider it an act of violence. And it’s worth noting that that libertarian definition does not consider it “violence” to, say, have someone arrested for violating a contract, or for theft, ect.
Basically, the word is being used in a non-standard way that hides a number of assumptions that not everyone would necessarily agree with. I tend to think it’s better to clearly lay out what your assumptions are and how you came to them when making an argument.
3 is a big deal. Specifically, one really problematic thing that people do when trying to convince other people is to define a word just slightly different then everyone else is defining it, and then construct arguments around that word defined in that way that then are hard for humans to take apart. This is common in politics; a libertarian definition of “violence” is different from the common one, for example, in such a way as to subtly change the assumptions of the argument in a way that is invisible to most (the libertarian definition assumes that taxation is inherently “violence”, but that using force to defend your property is not “violence”.) You might agree or disagree with those assumptions, this post isn’t meant to start a political debate, but I think it’s always harmful to clear logic thinking when people hide their assumptions that way.
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with defining a word in a certain way if everyone in the conversation already understands and agrees with that definition, but when people don’t, it can be a sneaky way of hiding your argument’s real weak points (perhaps even from yourself).
Well, taxation has the threat of violence, in that if you don’t pay your taxes you will eventually be caught and sentenced to jail for tax evasion… hmm, maybe I should do a “The definition of X” series. They should really be wiki pages though, not posts...
Yeah, I understand the logic behind it, but still most people would not include “taxation” within their definition of “violence”. Many people would consider taxation by a democratically elected government to be legitimate; people may not like it, but they don’t consider it an act of violence. And it’s worth noting that that libertarian definition does not consider it “violence” to, say, have someone arrested for violating a contract, or for theft, ect.
Basically, the word is being used in a non-standard way that hides a number of assumptions that not everyone would necessarily agree with. I tend to think it’s better to clearly lay out what your assumptions are and how you came to them when making an argument.