The Illusion of Moral Authority: the Government’s Monopoly on Force

In contemporary society, many ideologues and agents of the state anchor their moral positions in the government’s framework of policies, procedures, and fiat laws, particularly within the family law system. This reliance on the state’s moral authority, however, is not grounded in consent but in force, coercion, and the implicit threat of violence—symbolized by “guns.” This article explores how this coercive foundation disincentivizes deep thought, reflection, and empathetic dialogue, especially […] Read more »

The Straw Man Fallacy: Reducing Depth to Shallowness

The straw man logical fallacy—where an argument or character is distorted into a weaker, oversimplified version to be easily attacked—serves as a potent tool for misrepresenting individuals of depth and complexity. A person of depth, marked by nuanced ideas, emotional richness, and intricate reasoning, becomes a target for those with agendas or those too biased or dimwitted to grasp such complexity. Whether driven by malice or ignorance, these critics erect […] Read more »

The Capitalism Straw Man

It is very common in our current society to conflate consumerism, and by extension materialism (material reductionism), for capitalism, thus making a straw man and convenient scapegoat out of capitalism from what is actually just a lack of self-ownership, as self-ownership, personal responsibility, and personal accountability is the only way decentralized free market systems, aka capitalist societies, are able to actually work. Consumerism is the attempt to satisfy the hole […] Read more »

The Single Cause Fallacy and False Accusations

Beware of making and giving credence to the “single cause fallacy” (causal reductionism, complex cause, fallacy of the causal oversimplification, reduction fallacy), for it “typically leads to a myriad of false claims and accusations”, as noted below. It is also connected to the straw man fallacy, as it can be used to reduce a person or argument to a single motivation or reason for being something, thus misrepresenting their complex […] Read more »

The Last Jedi and the 7 Basic Questions of Narrative Drama

My comment on the YouTube video: This gave me another perspective to consider, and I appreciate the breakdown that you gave us explaining your viewpoint in detail. It gives me a deeper insight into human nature, especially with our own conflict between our wants and needs. However, with that said, I do believe that you gave us a straw man and a false dichotomy, which are logical fallacies, at the […] Read more »