Category Archives: George Will

Someone to agree with me

Posted on 11/4/2010 by John Casey

I wish I had a flattering one-idea explanation for the outcome of Tuesday's election, where Republicans took a majority in the house, and made gains in, but did not take, the Senate (weren't they supposed to do that?).  But I know such … Continue reading →

Posted in Ad Hominem Abusive, George Will, hollow man, Straw Man, Unqualified Authority | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

I don’t usually practice psychiatry in my blog

Posted on 9/30/2010 by John Casey

If there is a logic to the arguments of politicians, I don't know what it is.  A vote for a politician involves a complex web of commitments whose primary objective is action, not belief.  So when politicians violate the rules of … Continue reading →

Posted in Charles Krauthammer, General discussion, George Will, ignorance of basic matters of logic, Lack of Evidence, Narrativism, Specious allegations of fallacy, Things that are false | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

W-T-F

Posted on 9/16/2010 by John Casey

Some maintain that arguments are dialogues and such therefore be evaluated as such.  I have my doubts about this view, because so many of the arguments I encounter seem to be monologues, or at least the critical parts of them don't have anything to do … Continue reading →

Posted in George Will, hollow man, non causa pro causa, Weak Analogy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Statism

Posted on 6/10/2010 by John Casey

The caricature of the Tea Party type holds a sign and calls every single government action "communist."  Please tell me how this caricature is not on display here: Today's evidence suggesting sluggish job creation might give pause to a less … Continue reading →

Posted in George Will | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Strongly implies

Posted on 5/2/2010 by John Casey

Most of George Will's straw men are hollow men–enemies, usually "liberals" made up out of thin air, and made to hold views that would embarass a member of the communist party.  Today we are provided with a rare treat.  We can … Continue reading →

Posted in Ad hominem tu quoque, George Will, hollow man, Specious allegations of fallacy, Straw Man | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Those fine men and women

Posted on 4/28/2010 by John Casey

In the category of "strange things people say" (not a category here by the way), here's George Will on Arizona's new immigration law: Non-Hispanic Arizonans of all sorts live congenially with all sorts of persons of Hispanic descent. These include … Continue reading →

Posted in George Will | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Their reasoning is a non sequitur

Posted on 3/2/2010 by John Casey

George Will should not use the phrase "non sequitur."  He writes: Some liberals argue that the Constitution is unconstitutional. Their reasoning is a non sequitur: The Constitution empowers each chamber to "determine the rules of its proceedings." It requires five … Continue reading →

Posted in George Will, hollow man | 6 Comments

Dialogue more valuable than ever

Posted on 2/8/2010 by John Casey

Here's another article about how liberals condescend to conservatives.  It begins: It's an odd time for liberals to feel smug. But even with Democratic fortunes on the wane, leading liberals insist that they have almost nothing to learn from conservatives. Many … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Ad Hominem Abusive, George Will, Things that are false | 1 Comment

Political fights

Posted on 1/27/2010 by John Casey

I'm trying to find a charitable interpretation of this comment by George Will on This Week with David Brinkley (via Crooks and Liars): MORAN: Let's — let's go across the street from the Congress for a moment. There was a … Continue reading →

Posted in George Will, Things that are false, Unclassifiable | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Iroquois Twists

Posted on 1/14/2010 by John Casey

Sorry for the absence–I was on vacation.  To start off another season of The Non Sequitur, here's our favorite pseudo-intellectual, George Will on the constitutionality of health care legislation.  I wonder if we have a case of the slippery slope here: … Continue reading →

Posted in George Will, Slippery Slope | 8 Comments