“When a society has doubts about its future, it tends to produce spokesmen whose main appeal is to the emotions, who argue from intuitions, and whose claim to be truth-bearers rests solely on intense personal feeling.” FeelingsEmotionDoubtProduceClaimsIntuitionArguingIntenseAppealsPersonal Feelings Author:Kenneth Tynan
“The claim is also sometimes made that science is as arbitrary or irrational as all other claims to knowledge, or that reason itself is an illusion. As Ethan Allen said Those who invalidate reason ought seriously to consider whether they argue against reason with or without reason; if with reason, then they establish the principle that they are labouring to dethrone. If they argue without reason, which they must do, in order to be consistent with themselves, they are out of reach of rational conviction, nor do they deserve a rational argument.” IfsMadeSaidSometimesReasonScienceOrderPrinciplesOughtIllusionDeserveArgumentClaimsConvictionArguingRationalConsistentIrrationalArbitrary Author:Carl Sagan
“When reputable scientists correct flaws in an experiment that produced fantastic results, then fail to get those results when they repeat the test with flaws corrected, they withdraw their original claims. They do not defend them by arguing irrelevantly that the failed replication was successful in some other way, or by making intemperate attacks on whomever dares to criticize their competence.” WayResultsSuccessfulFailingAtheismTestsScientistClaimsOriginalsDarePositive AtheismArguingExperimentsFantasticRepeatsFlawsCriticizeCompetenceReplication Author:Martin Gardner
“Tendulkar can now rightly lay claim to the title of being the greatest batsman in cricket history. And if some people argue about his greatness then there are certainly no arguments about his being the most prolific, he is a complete run machine and his 50th Test hundred is a testimony of his endurance and passion for the sport” PeopleIfsRunningPassionSportsGreatnessHundredArgumentTestsMachinesClaimsLaysArguingTitlesEnduranceCricketTestimonyTendulkar Author:Rashid Latif
“Atheism is the absence of a belief in a god, nothing more. If the theist wishes to draw monumental implications from this lack of belief, he must argue for his claims.” IfsBeliefWishAtheismDrawsClaimsAbsenceArguingImplicationsTheist Book:Atheism: The Case Against God Source: Atheism: The Case Against God
“I think it's just yet another piece to cause confusion and I think that the 'so-called scientific debate' is very silly now - It's like a bunch of theologians arguing over how many angels you can stick on the head of a needle. When you've got a side that changes from global warming, global warming, global warming to climate change, which is intuitive - the climate has always been changing since the beginning of time - and then just begins to claim every answer is the correct answer, you often stand back, and I don't care who you are, you have to question as to what the real motive is in this.” ThinkingRealCareCausesSidesAnswersPiecesAngelClaimsWho You AreSticksClimateClimate ChangeDon't CareArguingDebateSillyBunchConfusionI Don't CareMotiveGlobal WarmingTheologianIntuitiveNeedles Author:Joe Bastardi
“Empathy is a human trait. But lots of humans exercise some traits more energetically than others. By "the usefulness of empathy" I mean the way in which a progressive might claim that empathy is a crucial aspect of any benign political system, and the way a conservative might argue that not only is it not necessary, but it might not even be all that helpful, in that regard.” WayHumansMeanMightPoliticalExerciseEmpathyAspectClaimsRegardConservativeArguingHelpfulProgressiveCrucialTraitsUsefulnessPolitical SystemsBenign Author:Jim Shepard
“Part of my methodological approach is made explicit when I discuss ways in which literature can have philosophical significance. Literature doesn't typically argue - and when it does, it's deadly dull. But literature can supply the frame within which we come to observe and reason, or it can change our frame in highly significant ways. That's one of the achievements I'd claim for Mann, and for Death in Venice.” WayDoeMadeReasonLiteratureAchievementApproachClaimsPhilosophicalArguingSignificantDullSignificanceVeniceExplicitDeath In Venice Author:Philip Kitcher
“Bealer argues that the kind of naturalistic view which Quine holds will rob him of the ability to make the normative claims which (many) naturalists wish to make in epistemology. I don't think this is right about Quine, but I'm certain it's not right about my own view. To the extent that I can show that talk of knowledge is firmly rooted within empirical theories where it plays an important explanatory role, I thereby demonstrate its naturalistic credentials.” ThinkingKindI CanImportantPlayShowsCertainWishMy OwnAbilityViewsRolesTheoryClaimsArguingRootedEpistemologyNaturalistCredentials Author:Hilary Kornblith
“No self-respecting feminist could argue with the claim that the novel is more likely to accept existing power structures than not. But there's a vast difference, surely, between Dickens saying Indians should be exterminated and a Dave Eggers writing eloquently about the NSA, but not being as outspoken on American military power abroad.” ShouldWritingSelfDifferencesAcceptingNovelMilitaryClaimsStructureFeministArguingNsaDaveDickensOutspokenMilitary PowerAmerican Military Author:Kamila Shamsie
“No, no, no - you don't argue with concepts. You have to claim Dogma, and therefore leave no room for rational thought.” RoomsConceptsClaimsArguingRationalDogmaRational Thought Author:Kevin J. Anderson
“I would proclaim that the vast majority of what [say, Scientific American] is true-yet my ability to defend such a claim is weaker than I would like. And most likely the readers, authors, and editors of that magazine would be equally hard pressed to come up with cogent, non-technical arguments convincing a skeptic of this point, especially if pitted against a clever lawyer arguing the contrary. How come Truth is such a slippery beast?” IfsHardWould BeTruthScienceAbilityReaderTruth IsArgumentClaimsMajorityCome UpLawyerArguingContraryCleverMagazinesBeastEditorsConvincingPublicationSkepticSlippery Book:Metamagical Themas: Questing For The Essence Of Mind And Pattern Source: Metamagical Themas: Questing For The Essence Of Mind And Pattern
“The only part of an argument that really matters is what we think of the people arguing. X claims a, Y claims b. They make arguments to support their claims with any number of points. But when their listeners remember the discussion, what matters is simply that X believes a and Y believes b. People then form their judgment on what they think of X and Y.” PeopleThinkingBelieveMatterRememberFormNumbersSupportJudgmentArgumentClaimsArguingDiscussionWhat MattersListeners Author:Kim Stanley