David Robert Grimes, in his blog Three Men and a Tiger, gives these 20 nifty tricks to argue like a charlatan”
When discussions arise, those with a vested interest are adept at sidetracking the debate with enough petty logical fallacies to fool an audience into thinking their claims have some merit…. Perhaps we should look at their techniques and admire the smoke and mirrors approach to discussion that can leave the most well informed earnest orator flummoxed and flustered. Let’s give these rogues their due, and identify some of their little tricks, in the hopes we can catch them out at their own game.
So for your viewing pleasure, I present these 20 nifty tricks to argue like a charlatan:
- Use circular reasoning liberally – Circular reasoning is purely tautological but because you’re repeating your assertions it’ll just reinforce your message it for the less astute in the audience. “The bible is the literal truth because God wrote it and we know that because the bible says it!” [click here to see the full list]