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C00002 00002 TECHNOLOGY AND IDEOLOGY - AD HOMINEM REMARKS
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TECHNOLOGY AND IDEOLOGY - AD HOMINEM REMARKS
For those who know even less Latin than I do, an ad hominem
argument is aimed at the man rather than his case. Ad hominem
arguments are traditionally regarded as bad since attacking a person
does not refute his position. However, they have become more popular
lately, because Marxists say, "You disagree with me, because you are
a lackey of the bourgeoisie", psychoanalysts say, "you disagree with
me, because you have a neurotic block", and J. K. Galbraith sometimes
says, "they disagree with me, because their tastes have been formed
by advertising". A case that relies entirely on ad hominem arguments
should be dismissed without further thought, because it is an appeal
to your dislikes rather than to your reason.
In this book so far, I believe I have managed to avoid ad
hominem remarks almost completely, but now I would like to try to
account for anti-technological views so that the reader who is
inclined to such views for non-rational reasons will be able to avoid
them and so that he will be able to detect these irrationalities in
others.
Anti-technological and anti-modern views have a long history.
1. The liberal arts fraud.
2. Lawyers and two sides to every question.
3. Manipulation of guilt and its conversion into hate.
4. Those who took the easy way in college wish to denigrate
their betters.
5. Snobs and effete snobs.
6. Usually a cynical view of the motives of some group will
dominate a conversation compared to a favorable view. If a listener
is l