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To: Arthur McGowan
If the fact that abortion kills potential rapists, murderers, molesters, etc., is a justification for abortion, then you have to admit that if we killed all the kindergarteners in America, that would be justified, too, because if we did, we would also be killing lots of potential rapists, murderers, molesters, etc.

Oh, brother! Now you sound like the author. Projecting and making accusations.

32 posted on 08/02/2008 1:56:53 PM PDT by raybbr (You think it's bad now - wait till the anchor babies start to vote!)
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To: raybbr
I am not engaging in projection, etc.

I am presenting you with an argument of the form reductio ad absurdum, which is a valid form of argument that you will find in any logic textbook.

The following two statements are of the precise same form:

(a) Abortion should be allowed because many of those who are aborted would develop into criminals.

(b) Killing five-year-olds should be allowed because many of those five-year-olds would develop into criminals.

The argument (a) is OFTEN presented in seriousness by those who favor legal abortion.

The argument (b) is of precisely the same form, and is therefore of precisely the same validity as argument (a).

The typical response of those who are unskilled in following logical arguments is:

"I was talking about abortion. I wasn't talking about five-year-olds. Why are you changing the subject?"

The response of those who CAN follow a logical argument is:

"I see that argument (b) is absurd, and therefore, argument (a), being fundamentally identical, must also be absurd."

The argument of the form reductio ad absurdum exposes absurd arguments for what they are. And, it simultaneously exposes those who are unskilled in following, or who have chosen not to follow, because of moral corruption, the logical implications of absurd assertions.

66 posted on 08/02/2008 3:35:43 PM PDT by Arthur McGowan
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To: raybbr
I am not engaging in projection, etc.

I am presenting you with an argument of the form reductio ad absurdum, which is a valid form of argument that you will find in any logic textbook.

The following two statements are of the precise same form:

(a) Abortion should be allowed because many of those who are aborted would develop into criminals.

(b) Killing five-year-olds should be allowed because many of those five-year-olds would develop into criminals.

The argument (a) is OFTEN presented in seriousness by those who favor legal abortion.

The argument (b) is of precisely the same form, and is therefore of precisely the same validity as argument (a).

The typical response of those who are unskilled in following logical arguments is:

"I was talking about abortion. I wasn't talking about five-year-olds. Why are you changing the subject?"

The response of those who CAN follow a logical argument is:

"I see that argument (b) is absurd, and therefore, argument (a), being fundamentally identical, must also be absurd."

The argument of the form reductio ad absurdum exposes absurd arguments for what they are. And, it simultaneously exposes those who are unskilled in following, or who have chosen not to follow, because of moral corruption, the logical implications of absurd assertions.

68 posted on 08/02/2008 3:40:50 PM PDT by Arthur McGowan
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To: raybbr; Arthur McGowan
"Projecting and making accusations"

Projecting? - Did you mean Extrapolating?

That is exactly what he has done; logically extrapolate from murder in the womb to murder outside the womb.

69 posted on 08/02/2008 3:41:44 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Jimmy Carter is the skidmark in the panties of American History)
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