The "Playing God" Fallacy
Not making this up:
Joe Barton (R-Fever Swamp), on trying to address global warming: (Via Sullivan's site)
If the argument were used consistently, it would apparently mean that we should refrain from doing virtually everything, from CPR to space flight. But, of course, it's never used consistently--it's only used to block whichever course of action the fallacy-employer doesn't care for. See, keeping Terry Schiavo alive with extraordinarily complex life-support technology: not playing God. Letting nature take its sad and awful course: playing God.
And, more to the point:
Destroying the environment with pollutants from power plants and internal combustion engines: [not --ed.] playing God.
Refraining from doing so: playing God.
Two seconds of thought reveals this argument to be stupid. Two seconds. Shows you how much time folks like Congressman Barton spend thinking...
Not making this up:
Joe Barton (R-Fever Swamp), on trying to address global warming: (Via Sullivan's site)
You can't regulate God. Not even the Democratic majority in the US Congress can regulate God.This is, of course, just a version of the "Playing God" fallacy. If this argument were sound, it would, apparently, mean that we should stop trying to do, well, anything, especially anything that requires big technology. Swine flu vaccine? Playing God. Electricity? Playing God. Airplanes? Really playing God. Building a fire? Playing God...
If the argument were used consistently, it would apparently mean that we should refrain from doing virtually everything, from CPR to space flight. But, of course, it's never used consistently--it's only used to block whichever course of action the fallacy-employer doesn't care for. See, keeping Terry Schiavo alive with extraordinarily complex life-support technology: not playing God. Letting nature take its sad and awful course: playing God.
And, more to the point:
Destroying the environment with pollutants from power plants and internal combustion engines: [not --ed.] playing God.
Refraining from doing so: playing God.
Two seconds of thought reveals this argument to be stupid. Two seconds. Shows you how much time folks like Congressman Barton spend thinking...
posted by Winston Smith at
9:18 AM
6 Comments:
Less than two seconds, I'd say. Your brain reflexively censored the facetious "not" out of Destroying the environment with pollutants from power plants and internal combustion engines: playing God.
Hey Winst,
I think you want
"Destroying the environment with pollutants from power plants and internal combustion engines: *not* playing God."
der...
thx guys.
The "not" is still in the wrong sentence to represent the idiots' position, Winst!
Picky, picky...
Fixed.
WS posts:
Shows you how much time folks like Congressman Barton spend thinking...Or it shows you how much time the Congressman expects the listeners he cares about (i.e., his supporters, uncommitted voters, and the press) to think about what he says.
Best,
Jim
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