24 How to Win Every Argument
and easily refuted into something profound, impressive and hard
to deny.
The small, domesticated carnivorous quadruped positioned itself in
sedentary mode in superior relationship to the coarse-textured rush-
woven horizontal surface fabric.
(With its saucer of milk beside it.)The fallacy of blinding with science is well worth the time and
trouble required to master it. The years of work at it will repay
you not only with a doctorate in the social sciences, but with the
ability to deceive an audience utterly into believing that you
know what you are talking about.
The bogus dilemma
Quite apart from the casual use of the term to describe a difficult
choice, the dilemma is also the name of an intricate argument. In
a dilemma, we are told the consequences of alternative actions,
and told that since we must take one of the actions, we must
accept one of the consequences. A Creek mother told her son
who was contemplating a career in politics:
Don't do it. If you tell the truth men will hate you, and if you tell lies the
gods will hate you. Since you must either tell the truth or tell lies, you
must be hated either by men or by the gods.The dilemma is a valid form of argument. If the consequences
described are true, and if there really is a straight choice between
them, then one or other of the consequences must follow. Very
often, however, the information given is incorrect, and the
choice is not as limited as is made out. In these cases the