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Politics : View from the Center and Left
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To: TimF who wrote (97424)11/25/2008 11:31:19 PM
From: cosmicforce  Read Replies (1) of 541841
 
<An argument based on simularities or shared ideas, is more often used as a negative to bash somone>

That can be a fallacy - a particularly obnoxious one - the ad hominem argument, but if applied as you suggest,

Politician X supported law Y, Hitler passed a law similar to Y, therefor Politician X is like Hitler

it is not necessarily a fallacy and may be completely legitimate, but granted, it does smell of Godwin's Law and would not be my preferred basis of challenge.

If Hitler thought that brushing his teeth and flossing was a good idea, I would still do it and Hitler's use of the toothbrush would not sway people of reason.

If Gandhi used waterboarding, I wouldn't say it is okay because Gandhi did it. Thankfully, Gandhi isn't on record with support for waterboarding so I'm spared that cognitive dissonance, aren't I? I think we can safely say Bush is no Gandhi.

That the stated goals of people and societies are often not aligned with outcomes is agreed. I'm sure Bush thought he was advancing the goals of the U.S. with his decision, but I think people of reason can disagree with his methodology and we must ask if we really want to embrace methods of the Khmer Rouge. Certainly that the Khmer Rouge used it does impugn its use at the request of the CINC of the US of A.
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