[Vision2020] Earmark and intial comments on Ralph's Religion and morality

[Tbertruss at aol.com]

Phil et. al.

I now read that chasuk at gmail.com did address the concept of "argument ad 
hominem" in regard to your exchange with him/her over Mr. Paul's religious harm 
thesis, though I still do not know for sure whether that Latin phrase is the 
phrase that was sought.

Hitler and David Duke are extreme examples of individuals who so consistently 
expressed a certain point of view, that to insist that we reargue all the 
facts and logic to demonstrate the errors in their thinking, does seem silly.  

Nonetheless, given a specific argument they made, it is still worth 
demonstrating how their arguments are in error either in fact or logic, and not just to 
label and dismiss them as crazy racists or bigots.  It is important that the 
errors in their thinking be reexamined, based on standards of truth revealing 
that we all should follow and continue to insist upon, so that why what they 
think is so wrong is clearly before people's minds, so that others who think as 
they do, who may be advocating similar ideologies under more clever deceptive 
guises, can again be refuted based on fact and logic.

Sometimes a person who has a justly earned bad reputation just might have a 
valid argument, a change of heart or thinking that departs from their 
reputation, that will be grossly misunderstood and/or ignored if said person is quickly 
labeled and stereotyped.  

And sometimes from the beginning, some people are stereotyped and labeled in 
a manner that is inaccurate or unfair to who they are as a human being.

This happens every day of the week.

If possible and practical, I'd rather have a sound fact and logic based 
argument to refute any thesis that I disagreed with, rather than just declaring 
what someone is saying to be of no value or obviously false based on reputation, 
stereotypes or labeling.

Then again, being a very emotional human being, I often do not rise to this 
high standard of truth seeking.  But at least the standard is there, full of 
all the vexing and complex and seemingly insolvable problems with seeking Truth. 


Ted Moffett
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