A Lesson In Logic
Craig Westover responds to a letter to the editor that challenged one of his pieces that appeared in the St. Paul Pioneer Press (what a novel concept) and uses it as a teachable moment:
To flip the argument -- I might write that Nick Coleman is a son that has not lived up to the standard of public service set by his father, and having made that realization in the fading years of a mediocre career, he has turned to vitriolic rhetoric to frighten public imagination and pretend that ensuing confusion constitutes influence. However, assuming that characterization is true, it would be an informal logical fallacy to invalidate the existence and significance of 'homelessness' just because Nick Coleman writes about it. Certainly I can disagree with his argument for a solution to the homeless problem, but only on its merits, not simply because Nick Coleman is a guilt-ridden white guy projecting his self-loathing onto others.
Read the whole thing.
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