And sometimes people coerce or trick other people into supporting them or identifying with them. I’m in the US, and pay taxes to the US government, but I didn’t invade Afghanistan. Joe Storeowner may pay “protection money” to the New York Mafia, but Joe didn’t have a gang war with the New Jersey Mafia. Yet from the point of view of a Mafia historian, “New York had a war with New Jersey” and Joe’s opinion is irrelevant; he is merely a citizen of the New York Mafia’s territory.
The original thought-experiment asked us to imagine that all British people suffered from salmon-phobia. This assumes a level of distinction that in real life, we would regard as a fallacy — because in the thought-experiment world, we could truly say that if someone wasn’t offended by salmon, that proved they weren’t British.
In other words, in the world of the thought-experiment, the “no true Scotsman” fallacy is not a fallacy at all, but defined to be true.
The original thought-experiment asked us to imagine that all British people suffered from salmon-phobia. This assumes a level of distinction that in real life, we would regard as a fallacy — because in the thought-experiment world, we could truly say that if someone wasn’t offended by salmon, that proved they weren’t British.
I don’t think the original thought experiment would change much if the aliens only hacked 85% of British people chosen at random rather than every single one.
“I’m in the US, and pay taxes to the US government, but I didn’t invade Afghanistan.”
I agree, that’s exactly the point. When I said that “Muslims are not asking nicely,” I was not referring to every last Muslim.
“The original thought-experiment asked us to imagine that all British people suffered from salmon-phobia. This assumes a level of distinction that in real life, we would regard as a fallacy”
Agree, the original thought experiment would be more accurate if British people had the same sort of general feeling about fish which Muslims have about Koran-burning.
And sometimes people coerce or trick other people into supporting them or identifying with them. I’m in the US, and pay taxes to the US government, but I didn’t invade Afghanistan. Joe Storeowner may pay “protection money” to the New York Mafia, but Joe didn’t have a gang war with the New Jersey Mafia. Yet from the point of view of a Mafia historian, “New York had a war with New Jersey” and Joe’s opinion is irrelevant; he is merely a citizen of the New York Mafia’s territory.
The original thought-experiment asked us to imagine that all British people suffered from salmon-phobia. This assumes a level of distinction that in real life, we would regard as a fallacy — because in the thought-experiment world, we could truly say that if someone wasn’t offended by salmon, that proved they weren’t British.
In other words, in the world of the thought-experiment, the “no true Scotsman” fallacy is not a fallacy at all, but defined to be true.
I don’t think the original thought experiment would change much if the aliens only hacked 85% of British people chosen at random rather than every single one.
“I’m in the US, and pay taxes to the US government, but I didn’t invade Afghanistan.”
I agree, that’s exactly the point. When I said that “Muslims are not asking nicely,” I was not referring to every last Muslim.
“The original thought-experiment asked us to imagine that all British people suffered from salmon-phobia. This assumes a level of distinction that in real life, we would regard as a fallacy”
Agree, the original thought experiment would be more accurate if British people had the same sort of general feeling about fish which Muslims have about Koran-burning.
And in that case, my original point still stands.