Terrorists on MeFi!

July 2, 2001 11:10 AM

Terrorists on MeFi!
posted by geronimo_rex (22 comments total)

I love this link! The one that drives me the most nuts is the one defined as 'Word Putty' - wildly elastic definitions:

"You're missing the point! You keep getting hung up on the words without seeing the meaning! Besides, that's not what *I* mean by science."
posted by kristin at 11:24 AM on July 2, 2001

Why, that's Calvinism!
posted by jcterminal at 11:26 AM on July 2, 2001

Hot damn. This link is going to be useful as I attempt to complete my philosophy major...
posted by tweebiscuit at 11:29 AM on July 2, 2001

It is not a question of terrorists on MeFi or Calvinism, but rather it is an issue of COcOnUt sTeW!!!!!1
posted by sonofsamiam at 11:31 AM on July 2, 2001

This is in the same vein.
posted by Steven Den Beste at 11:43 AM on July 2, 2001

"I'm not sure if I fail to disagree with that or not."

oh man, great post.. first time i've ever seen anyone but myself and my friends use the word sesquipidalianism...
posted by lotsofno at 11:43 AM on July 2, 2001

This is a keeper.

I'd explain more but I'm afraid it would be wasted on a crowd like this.
posted by victors at 11:59 AM on July 2, 2001

The best part is to take a look at the rest of the site.

So sincere - and so saccharine.
posted by Irontom at 12:25 PM on July 2, 2001

So you would just like to kill off anyone who disagrees with you, it appears!
posted by owillis at 12:33 PM on July 2, 2001

I don't think you're paying attention to what I'm saying, if you were, you would know what I'm trying to say. And you would agree.
posted by victors at 12:39 PM on July 2, 2001

I am sickened by the sheer ignorance of the people on Mefi in general and in this thread in particular, and that is why I'm leaving for good. No, I'm totally serious this time. I just removed my bookmark. And when everyone belatedly realizes what an important member I was to this community and rallies to my defense and publicly chastises those (and you know who you are) who brought me to this point, I will unfortunately never ever know about it because, as I mentioned before, I am not coming back. Even if someone emails me privately ([e-mail]) to let me know that everyone wants me to return and that the site has basically gone to shit since my departure, it won't matter because I'm done with you all. I mean it. I'm using UnInstall Wizard right now to remove my browser. Goodbye.
posted by Shadowkeeper at 12:51 PM on July 2, 2001

I'd suggest he destroy his computer as well, but he would never get to see my suggestion if I did.
posted by harmful at 1:00 PM on July 2, 2001

Wow, great link. This should be required reading for high-school students. If more people were aware of these techniques, and if there were a standard for naming them like those proposed in the link, people would be able to ensure much more meaningful communication. Also, ignorance wouldn't be propigated as fast as it does now. Seriously - good link.
posted by SilentSalamander at 1:15 PM on July 2, 2001

Me talk pretty one day, too.
posted by davidmsc at 2:19 PM on July 2, 2001

i took a class freshman year (college) called logic and critical reasoning, the text (the name which i don't remember) covered logical fallacies in about the same way the link does, in short sections and described by examples. as i took that class i had the same thought silentsalamander did-- it should be taught much earlier, because as they were being taught, fallacies were commited everytime we go into discussion. what else is new? we don't have philosophy either, so everyone thinks she's/he's god... like me.
posted by elle at 2:41 PM on July 2, 2001

I am sickened by the sheer ignorance of the people on Mefi in general and in this thread in particular, and that is why I'm leaving for good...

I truly resemble that remark. Good riddance to me.
posted by victors at 3:10 PM on July 2, 2001

hey, under epistemic naivety, a picture my dog pops up.(heylookatmeimapopup.) This was lifted from the diogenes handbook for Epicurean zarathustras that conflict with maslowian intent inside outer Pascal redundancies as pointed out by 1.15748 in mad ludwigs cheap hotel absinthe spells reading nizan and chewing yage with Earl Warren. negate!, no more isotropic universals. "Camille, Camille, there is no trumble"..
posted by clavdivs at 3:54 PM on July 2, 2001

Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes your MetaFilter....please remember to take your hats and handbags as you leave and proceed calmly but quickly to the exits. Thank you again for your patronage.
posted by briank at 5:09 PM on July 2, 2001

"Take this example: suppose you were a person who was incredibly stupid but was trying to come off as intelligent. What would the proper response be if you were me?"


(raging laughter winds down)...uh.....I think I just tore something.
God that's a funny page.
posted by dong_resin at 6:36 PM on July 2, 2001

elle, historically ... meaning going back to the Greeks, and continuing right up to the last century ... a class called Rhetoric was considered essential to early adult education.

I don't know that it actually reduced the incidence of logical fallacies among the general populace ... but it did establish a baseline for intelligent people to discuss amongst themselves, somewhat more genteelly than the apex of modern political debate (e.g. CNN's The Spin Room). Consider the Lincoln-Douglas debates ...
posted by dhartung at 11:36 PM on July 2, 2001

Finally! A usenet style manual!
posted by talos at 12:07 AM on July 3, 2001

If it were a usenet style manual, talos, then it would surely include the irrefutable ...

** plonk! **

Now that there's some good arguin'.
posted by Shadowkeeper at 9:34 AM on July 3, 2001