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Convenient Omissions

30 Nov

Liar

It infuriates me when people whom I otherwise respect for their intelligence or philosophies decide to address or rant on a topic and in the process fail to discuss obvious counter-arguments or key facts that may poke holes in their thesis.

This is an issue that cross-cuts all political leanings and ideologies, education levels, and creeds. Most people, when attempting to promote their point of view, are intellectually lazy. Or worse, they are devious with intentional omissions.

Here’s the thing; if your argument has merit, there is no reason to avoid conflicting opinions or challenging facts. If potential land mines can be defused, the idea carries exponentially greater weight, interlocutors will have more trust and fewer questions, and the influence of your position will be profoundly greater.

Don’t insult the intelligence of your audience, regardless of how much smarter you think you are than them. If you leave something out just so your word will be taken without debate, you’ll soon enough be outed as a fraud and your stock will be severely diminished.

Be a philosopher. Be an expert. Don’t be a deceptive ideologue trying to win by promoting selective ignorance.

Image by Ben Heine

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