The “No True Scotsman” logical fallacy
Dominates Nearly Every Discussion Today
When a universal (“all”, “every”, etc.) claim is refuted, rather than conceding the point or meaningfully revising the claim, the claim is altered by going from universal to specific, and failing to give any objective criteria for the specificity (Logically Fallacious). In short what means is that nearly every discussion today is couched in “all or nothing” rhetoric; when exceptions are introduced the response is, “no true (fill in the blank) would be an exception. As the above graphic depicts, “All fundamental Christians are politically conservative, gun owners, anti-poor rednecks. Many fundamental Christians do not hold to these absolute views; therefore, they are not true Christians!”
This logical error is rampant
Nearly every political group is guilty
Today’s rhetoric is rife with this logical fallacy. The temptation to use words like all and every to bolster one’s position requires an omniscience that is beyond the ken of people as only God has the attribute of omniscience. However, people are not interested in coherent, logical discussions to elucidate their beliefs or understandings. Thus, communication for mutual understanding is not the goal. Discussions have simply degenerated into verbal bludgeonings. This was popularized decades ago in current affairs and stock market shows. Today it permeates throughout most “news” entertainment and sports shows in the form of quickie debates {actually, yelling sessions}. For instance, the current discussion over Islamic terrorism is not honestly discussed by majority of people because of their political agenda and unwillingness to honestly view the issue as it may cause them to change their sacrosanct beliefs; horror! But this inability to face issues is not limited to Islamic terrorism.
Feminism constantly shifts its definition
Using the “No True Scotsman” fallacy
The feminist and LGBT movements grew because of skillful use of the “No True Scotsman” fallacy AND the publics refusal to hold promoters accountable for clear, logical presentation of their views. As the above graphic aptly illustrates a feminist is whatever will promote the speakers current agenda; thus, it is a shifting goal. For instance, President Clinton’s use of women for personal pleasure is well publicized. The fact that national feminist organizations defended him, and continue to do so, undercuts their rhetoric about protecting women from abuse. Both feminism and abuse become nebulous, meaningless terms whose definitions change to meet current political agendas. Secretary Clinton constantly used terms like all women or all Republicans to make her political arguments fit the group she was addressing. The complicity of major news media in promoting her rhetoric uncritically nearly won her the election. But, Democrats are not alone in using this logical fallacy; Republicans are just as adept at ignoring the laws of logic because Americans do not want clear, coherent discussions that highlight the issues because it may demand solutions outside of their political agenda.
This is how Democrats paint Republicans now
Before 1960s this was the Democratic South
Why has this logical fallacy flourished? Why do people allow themselves to be swayed by such obviously slopping rhetoric? It is part of the human (sinful) condition. People do not want to know the truth. The Bible clearly states this in no uncertain terms (Ro 1:18-25). In order to justify their own sinful behavior people are willing to throw others under the bus” by showing how much more evil others are than themselves (Ro 2:1-3). Why? They think they will escape the judgment of God, and man, by shifting attention from themselves onto others. This is the focus of the current pietistic movements (#metoo). The search for evil is little more than the attempt to shift focus from one’s own sinful behavior, excusing it, by showing how much more evil others are behaving. The news outlets are little more than shills assisting in these incoherent revelations to promote their own agendas, and finances. But, education is also to blame for people’s lack of logical coherency.
No True Scientist Believes in Creation
Thus, Creationists are Anti-Science
Enshrined in law is the explicit prohibition against teaching any other theory of origins of this physical universe. The excuse is that any other view of creation promotes a religion and thus violates the Constitution against a state-sponsored religious agenda. I find this laughable since public education in America was specifically started to sponsor a specific form of pietistic Protestantism along with national socialism. After the 1920s Scopes Trial highlighting evolution versus creationism states reverse laws forbidding the teaching of evolution and substituted laws forbidding the teaching of creationism. Rather than discuss the merits of each position let us look at the overall use of the force of law to promote one’s agenda. Pietistic Protestant education indoctrinated generations of citizens to judge others by arbitrary outward standards in violation of the very Bible they claim to follow. This created a moralistic social climate against which many constantly chaffed against. William Jennings Bryant brought his forceful charismatic brand of pietism into the Democratic Party in 1896 changing it from a laissez faire, small government, political party into a pietistic, large government political party hell-bent on making America better through a populist movement; not unlike today’s Republican Party. Woodrow Wilson, also a pietist, used this belief system to promote socialism under the label of Progressivism. With the introduction of scientisms, such as psychology, education became the main tool to mold new citizens into ideologues. By the 1960s Protestant pietism was ousted from education ushering in a plethora of competing ideologies until socialism emerged as king. But, socialism cannot stand on truth and resulted in millions of death by socialistic countries and several wars. Socialism, like all flawed ideologies of man must rely on faith to endure. Thus, the promotion of logical fallacies becomes enshrined in the educational process and thus in the minds of those exposed to such education.
Remember, the goal is never truth. The goal is deception to promote oneself as worthy to be as god. Truth reveals the deception and thus must be severely staunched. Those views that are antithetical to one’s own views must be violently rejected. This is what we are observing in the world today: Muslims violently rejecting any discussion of their political agenda; LGBT violently rejecting any discussion of their political agenda; Feminists violently rejecting any discussion of their political agenda; and so forth. Logical fallacies become legitimate tools of deception at every level of discussion. Even Christians use the “no true scotsman” tool when discussing who is or is not a true Christian when only God knows the truth. Christians are practice discernment by observing outward behaviors to avoid practices that are rejected by the Scriptures. This is why judgment, making absolute statements of fact, belongs solely to God; not to us! By making absolute universal statements Christians become co-opted by the world and live in the fantasy world of no true scotsman logical delusions.