Denialists’ Deck of Cards: The Jack of Clubs, “You’re A Ninny”

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2 responses to “Denialists’ Deck of Cards: The Jack of Clubs, “You’re A Ninny””

1. paul

   May 25, 2007

   I think you need to distinguish ad hominem as straightforward attack from ad hominen as sensible cognitive filter, something that your citation doesn’t necessarily do. In any reasonably complicated debate (whether technical or otherwise) it’s a good idea to know the biases and reputations of the participants. I can know, for example, that if someone from the Discovery Institute is making an argument that seems reasonable at first glance, I should probably look at it more carefully.

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2. Kapitano

   May 26, 2007

   Calling your opponant a fool and calling him a bad person are, I think, different strategies. Though often calling him one implies the other, so the two can run in tandem.

   Calling Dr X a bad person
   “Dr X is intellectually dishonest. He is deliberately hiding evidence that contradicts Darwinism because he knows that if he admits the truth, he’ll be out of a job.”

   “Dr X is a communist.” (good old-fashioned name-calling)

   “Dr X refuses to support our brave soldiers in Iraq. He obviously doesn’t believe in the freedoms they protect.”

   Calling Dr X a fool:
   “Dr X once paid tribute to the liberal moonbat Noam Chomsky, calling his childish pretensions ‘brave and necessary’”.

   “Dr X was among those who wavered on classifying Piltdown Man as the evolutionist fraud we all know it to be.”

   “Dr X says he can’t discount the possibility of extraterrestrial visitation.”

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