If a style of argumentation has survived critics for millennia, we can ask several questions: Could it be that there are evolutionary programs running in our heads that systematically push us to do the same things? Are those based on inferences that correlate with good fitness? Where does epistemic value differ from ecologic utility? Do the fallacists have some observation bias; do we suffer from the Focusing illusion (Schkade & Kahneman, 1998) when observing a bad argument?
Agreed. But it kind of means that some evolution of fallacies trending toward more complex argumentation patterns is taking place. Or? I’m not versed in the classics but I take it that they didn’t have this large an (anti-)tool-set.
I think any preoccupation, if it exists long enough, results in great refinements. The are people good a African rare languages, mineral water, all sorts of (noble!) sports, torture—why should’t people get better at something as common as argumentation.
But we’re advocating a look the other way around, to the more basic processes, they may say something about how humans work. And indeed, it would be easier with less sophisticated arguers.
A quote from that paper:
I have this heard called the fallacy fallacy (though rational wiki sees that differently).
You are correct; but the Argument from fallacy is still pretty uninformative.
Agreed. But it kind of means that some evolution of fallacies trending toward more complex argumentation patterns is taking place. Or? I’m not versed in the classics but I take it that they didn’t have this large an (anti-)tool-set.
I think any preoccupation, if it exists long enough, results in great refinements. The are people good a African rare languages, mineral water, all sorts of (noble!) sports, torture—why should’t people get better at something as common as argumentation.
But we’re advocating a look the other way around, to the more basic processes, they may say something about how humans work. And indeed, it would be easier with less sophisticated arguers.