Tip #31 Argumentum Ad Abortion
Aug. 23rd, 2015 12:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wingedbeastA tactic I'm starting to see more often is for the believer to put the non-believer on task for being pro-choice. It can come up in a couple different contexts.
Context 1. The believer has just been accused of some immorality in the believer's own views or the the action/attitudes the believer attributes to God.
"If you're pro-choice, you can't object to the 10th Plague. You would be a hypocrite."
Context 2. The discussion is on morality in general and the believer feels that being pro-life puts them inherently in the case of moral superiority.
"Ah, but if you really respected human life, you would not be pro-choice, because..."
I'm well aware that not all believers are pro-life and certainly not all non-believers are pro-choice. That's not the point.
The point is that this is a case where believers act towards morality in much the same way that I often see pro-life people act with regards to abortion, as though there isn't even a conversation to be had. No conversation, just a trump card that says "I'm right and disagreeing with me is wrong".
I've written, a couple times now, on what I call moral hubris, the belief that you/your side/your tribe has the lock on being good people. The argument ad abort'em is moral hubris. It explicitly says "I have the lock on morality and disagreeing with me exposes your own moral failing."
One thing I hope I've made clear is that I don't actually agree with you. That's why I'm a nonbeliever. And, that's why proclaiming your own position to be superior because your position is pro-life while mine is pro-choice isn't going to convince me... or anybody else who isn't already convinced.
That... leads into my next tip.
Context 1. The believer has just been accused of some immorality in the believer's own views or the the action/attitudes the believer attributes to God.
"If you're pro-choice, you can't object to the 10th Plague. You would be a hypocrite."
Context 2. The discussion is on morality in general and the believer feels that being pro-life puts them inherently in the case of moral superiority.
"Ah, but if you really respected human life, you would not be pro-choice, because..."
I'm well aware that not all believers are pro-life and certainly not all non-believers are pro-choice. That's not the point.
The point is that this is a case where believers act towards morality in much the same way that I often see pro-life people act with regards to abortion, as though there isn't even a conversation to be had. No conversation, just a trump card that says "I'm right and disagreeing with me is wrong".
I've written, a couple times now, on what I call moral hubris, the belief that you/your side/your tribe has the lock on being good people. The argument ad abort'em is moral hubris. It explicitly says "I have the lock on morality and disagreeing with me exposes your own moral failing."
One thing I hope I've made clear is that I don't actually agree with you. That's why I'm a nonbeliever. And, that's why proclaiming your own position to be superior because your position is pro-life while mine is pro-choice isn't going to convince me... or anybody else who isn't already convinced.
That... leads into my next tip.
