Now that we’ve learned what goes into making an argument, let’s talk about how to respond to an argument. First, a bit about why philosophy is necessary.
Frustrations of a Lay Apologist, Part 2
September 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment
About a month ago, I wrote about my frustration with being a lay apologist and I stated my frustration often came from two camps, both fellow Christians and unbelievers. I mentioned in that post how it seemed I could not win sometimes because unbelievers told me I was not intellectual enough, while my fellow church members often said I made things too complicated. In my first post, I primarily dealt with fellow Christians and church members (link here: http://bit.ly/MR60Xv). In this offering I shall deal with the unbelievers. When I talk about unbelievers I often mean those who are highly educated, are indeed intelligent, and who may even know the Bible better than the average Christian.
Your Challenge Does Not Apply- The Strawman
September 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Lately I’ve been having a lot of discussions with fellow Christians about different ideas. Typically we’re are on different sides of the debate and are trying to come to either an agreement, compromise, or understanding. One of the things that I have noticed all too often (I wouldn’t worry about a couple times) from too many people and from the same people after I’ve pointed it out, is that they will offer a challenge that does not even apply to my view. Last week I discussed “zombie” topics in Christianity. One of the identifiers of a zombie (person) is that they continue to argue against “strawmen”.
“Um, that’s not what I believe.”
The strawman is a slight (or not so slight) variation of an argument or position that is easier to defeat than the real argument or position. This is a fallacious way to argue because it does not actually address the challenge at hand. Its power comes by the fact that the nuances of the incorrect argument or position can be so close to the actual one that those listening may not recognize the difference, and believe that the actual challenge has been addressed and defeated when, in fact, it has not been addressed, much less defeated. [Read more...]
A Neighborhood Sidewalk Logic Lesson
August 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment
My family and I live in a interesting setting when it comes to our housing. Back in 2003, we literally landed in a townhouse community where the neighborhood has ever reflected a transitional nature. How does it change? Families in renting or leasing scenarios either change residences due to not being able to pay the rent, been evicted because of negligence or not following housing authority rules, or they find better housing. If they stay, like it seems we are doing at least for another year, they are seeking stability and consistency for the time that they are there until they leave for a “new adventure.” This seems to be what we are here for OR at least we have not had a leading to leave as of yet.All this being said, lately we have seen our neighborhood changing into more of a latchkey kid environment. One often wonders if the parents even discipline or disciple their kids by the way some of them show a disrespect for property and authority. Yes the neighborhood is multi-ethnic, but that does not matter. It is the worldview of the secular city and the entitlement mentality that are the driving competitive factors. So here we are, in a townhouse that we are gradually outgrowing space-wise, in a neighborhood that has its interesting dynamics.As interesting as things can be some times, we seek to make an impact and have a witness in our neighborhood. Having been here for almost ten years, we are seeing some fruit from this, despite those who try to inflict the aforementioned mentality upon their neighbors. When this affects us, interesting conversations ensue with the neighborhood “rug rats” (NRR – not a negative term). But of course the parents of these kids have different responses to our influence, and we have not heard the positives or the negatives as of yet.
I present to you this backdrop because with the changing of families, particularly with latch-key kids, our family is learning more and more each day what it means to be an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). The following scenario/dialogue in an example of this. Click here to see what happened next. . .
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