The dialogue about Trump on climate change is a perfect example of how most people think in opposition to how careful, abstract nerdy-types think.
To a nerd, it’s a crucial distinction to say something like while we may not, based on economic models, want to do anything about it, it is an entirely separate question whether or not global warming is actually occurring.
A great many people will not make that “fine” distinction. All they can hear is “yay my tribe” and “boo my tribe.” If that’s all they can understand, then is it really a lie to say something that you know will be interpreted as “yay you guys?”
I would say it’s a lie to say something you know the other person will misinterpret in a way that leads them to a wrong conclusion, even if the way you would interpret it is true. The counterpart is that it’s not a lie to say something that you know will be interpreted an acceptably true way (“yay you guys” is not true or false per se) even if the way you would interpret it is false.
Scott Adams understands the folly of trying to make fine distinctions about political issues when talking to most people, so he, just like them, interprets Trump’s statement as a partisan rallying cry, and excuses it on the basis of consequentialism (he seems to think it’s okay not to do anything about global warming). As far as he and they are concerned, there’s nothing about that statement that CAN be “true” or “false;” it has all the informational density of a hearty “yay!”
The dialogue about Trump on climate change is a perfect example of how most people think in opposition to how careful, abstract nerdy-types think.
To a nerd, it’s a crucial distinction to say something like while we may not, based on economic models, want to do anything about it, it is an entirely separate question whether or not global warming is actually occurring.
A great many people will not make that “fine” distinction. All they can hear is “yay my tribe” and “boo my tribe.” If that’s all they can understand, then is it really a lie to say something that you know will be interpreted as “yay you guys?”
I would say it’s a lie to say something you know the other person will misinterpret in a way that leads them to a wrong conclusion, even if the way you would interpret it is true. The counterpart is that it’s not a lie to say something that you know will be interpreted an acceptably true way (“yay you guys” is not true or false per se) even if the way you would interpret it is false.
Scott Adams understands the folly of trying to make fine distinctions about political issues when talking to most people, so he, just like them, interprets Trump’s statement as a partisan rallying cry, and excuses it on the basis of consequentialism (he seems to think it’s okay not to do anything about global warming). As far as he and they are concerned, there’s nothing about that statement that CAN be “true” or “false;” it has all the informational density of a hearty “yay!”
Agreed.