If I wanted to do that, I would phrase things differently, to avoid the connotation issues (of, for example, Taxation is Theft!):
“We think burglary is bad, but tax is good, yet they have some similarities. Are we right to judge them differently?” or even “I think the things that make burglary bad are X Y and Z, but X is shared by taxation, and Y is partly shared by taxation. I conclude that taxation is not as bad as burglary, but still a bit bad”
Great, clear statement of the position. Wouldn’t the “worst argument in the world” taboo apply just as strongly to any use of figurative language in the context of an argument? Instead of making an analogy, for instance (e.g., “X is the mindkiller”), why not just use literal language? No danger of connotative contamination, then. Instead of making a joke, why not just explain what you mean, rather than requiring your audience to grasp for the insight it contains? (Apparently hyperbole is allowed, as it’s incorporated into the NAME of the argument—why is hyperbole okay, but not metaphor?)
I understand the ideal here. But I think cutting off our own linguistic balls, so to speak, gives us only the illusion of cognitive cleanness—and much is lost. We are not motivated by pure logic to engage logically with an idea. We are motivated by “epistemic emotions” like curiosity and confusion. A title like “Should Trees Have Standing?” is emotional and poetic and could be literally replaced with “Should our legal system treat inanimate objects as ends in themselves for social reasons not entailed by property rights?” But I don’t think the former is cheating, and I don’t think the latter would have been as successful in motivating cognition on the topic.
I would even defend good old “Meat is Murder!” as a compact little ethical puzzle for beginners, rather than the Worst Argument in the World!
I think the salient point here is whether we are talking about a theft close to the archetype, such as mugging or burglary, or one further from it, such as Robin Hood enacting his redistribution scheme, or the government taxing.
So when we have “X is the mindkiller”, that’s okay if “X” happens to be party politics, or factions disagreeing in a fricticious boardroom meeting. A fringe example of mind-killing might be a recurring disagreement between spouses over whether to buy skinned or unskinned milk (you can still have entrenched positions, but it doesn’t really reach the same level).
Not sure I’m being too clear. What I’m saying is that words refer to a cluster of things, with varying strength, and we use the WAITW when we talk about things on the fringe of that cluster as if they were in fact slap bang in the middle.
If I wanted to do that, I would phrase things differently, to avoid the connotation issues (of, for example, Taxation is Theft!):
“We think burglary is bad, but tax is good, yet they have some similarities. Are we right to judge them differently?” or even “I think the things that make burglary bad are X Y and Z, but X is shared by taxation, and Y is partly shared by taxation. I conclude that taxation is not as bad as burglary, but still a bit bad”
Great, clear statement of the position. Wouldn’t the “worst argument in the world” taboo apply just as strongly to any use of figurative language in the context of an argument? Instead of making an analogy, for instance (e.g., “X is the mindkiller”), why not just use literal language? No danger of connotative contamination, then. Instead of making a joke, why not just explain what you mean, rather than requiring your audience to grasp for the insight it contains? (Apparently hyperbole is allowed, as it’s incorporated into the NAME of the argument—why is hyperbole okay, but not metaphor?)
I understand the ideal here. But I think cutting off our own linguistic balls, so to speak, gives us only the illusion of cognitive cleanness—and much is lost. We are not motivated by pure logic to engage logically with an idea. We are motivated by “epistemic emotions” like curiosity and confusion. A title like “Should Trees Have Standing?” is emotional and poetic and could be literally replaced with “Should our legal system treat inanimate objects as ends in themselves for social reasons not entailed by property rights?” But I don’t think the former is cheating, and I don’t think the latter would have been as successful in motivating cognition on the topic.
I would even defend good old “Meat is Murder!” as a compact little ethical puzzle for beginners, rather than the Worst Argument in the World!
I think the salient point here is whether we are talking about a theft close to the archetype, such as mugging or burglary, or one further from it, such as Robin Hood enacting his redistribution scheme, or the government taxing.
So when we have “X is the mindkiller”, that’s okay if “X” happens to be party politics, or factions disagreeing in a fricticious boardroom meeting. A fringe example of mind-killing might be a recurring disagreement between spouses over whether to buy skinned or unskinned milk (you can still have entrenched positions, but it doesn’t really reach the same level).
Not sure I’m being too clear. What I’m saying is that words refer to a cluster of things, with varying strength, and we use the WAITW when we talk about things on the fringe of that cluster as if they were in fact slap bang in the middle.