Truth Unrestricted

Absolutism

November 05, 2023 Spencer Episode 64
Absolutism
Truth Unrestricted
More Info
Truth Unrestricted
Absolutism
Nov 05, 2023 Episode 64
Spencer

Some people in our world have adopted a system for navigating the world that is less related to which concepts or rules they wish to live by and more related to which people they wish to support or oppose. The absolute enemy is usually a political figure which a person opposes in all things. The AE cannot, by definition, ever do anything correct and, again by definition, everything the AE does is bad. The absolute ally has the opposite properties. Everything the absolute ally does is good and right and nothing they've ever done is wrong. In the past 15 years or so, every leader of both Canada and the US has, at one time or another, been cast by someone as "attempting to destroy the country." I don't actually think any of them have wanted this specific goal, though some may have been somewhat indifferent to the outcome of their country. 

In other situations, people use absolutism to manufacture an answer. This is done with the assistance of a logical fallacy called "bifurcation". By speaking about a topic in absolute terms it can lead a person to think there are only two choices: either they have to be absolutely *for* the thing or absolutely *against* the thing. Bifurcation is the idea that a problem or decision point has only two viable outcomes. Usually a grifter will introduce both and then attempt to make one unpalatable so as to push people toward the decision they prefer.

Links
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXEvjRt8uRg

Show Notes

Some people in our world have adopted a system for navigating the world that is less related to which concepts or rules they wish to live by and more related to which people they wish to support or oppose. The absolute enemy is usually a political figure which a person opposes in all things. The AE cannot, by definition, ever do anything correct and, again by definition, everything the AE does is bad. The absolute ally has the opposite properties. Everything the absolute ally does is good and right and nothing they've ever done is wrong. In the past 15 years or so, every leader of both Canada and the US has, at one time or another, been cast by someone as "attempting to destroy the country." I don't actually think any of them have wanted this specific goal, though some may have been somewhat indifferent to the outcome of their country. 

In other situations, people use absolutism to manufacture an answer. This is done with the assistance of a logical fallacy called "bifurcation". By speaking about a topic in absolute terms it can lead a person to think there are only two choices: either they have to be absolutely *for* the thing or absolutely *against* the thing. Bifurcation is the idea that a problem or decision point has only two viable outcomes. Usually a grifter will introduce both and then attempt to make one unpalatable so as to push people toward the decision they prefer.

Links
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXEvjRt8uRg