Informing the Misled

I’ve been waiting for inspiration for my first post.  Today it came to me, when the subject of Intellectual Honesty came up in conversation at work.  It’s a term that, in my experience, far too few people are aware of and far too many people ignore – either through ignorance or through design.  A browse around forums, blogs and numerous sites quickly paints a picture where a lot of people across the web are relying on the fact that most people have no clue what intellectual honesty is!

Sure.  Most people who have earned degrees or have completed some higher level education would be more than aware of the concept.  My concern rests with the majority of people out there who ignorant of both the term and the obligation that it imposes on anybody who is preparing or defending an argument in public or on forums, and on those who are providing information to a mass audience.

I did a search of the web to see what information was available to an inquisitive reader trying to learn more about the intellectual honesty concept.  There’s quite a lot – much of it, unsurprisingly, from colleges and universities from all over the world.  The stand-out candidate appears to be 10 Signs of Intellectual Honesty available from the website of one Mike Gene.

While Mike Gene is an intelligent design apologist (who is bound to become the focus of future posts!), I have to admit that his 10 Signs post is splendid.  Looking at the number of others who have linked to this particular page I am not alone in that assessment.  I recommend it to anybody who is searching for a checklist to ensure that their argument is developed and progresses from a foundation of intellectual honesty.

But . . . 10 Signs is, it seems, written as a reminder for the author and the person who is preparing an argument.  I found precious little that will allow a layman to test whatever he or she is reading or hearing for intellectual honesty.  From this shortfall, my first post has been born!

Shamelessly taking my lead from Mike Gene’s 10 Signs document, what follows are the:

10 Signs of Intellectual Dishonesty:

1. Arrogance or “I am the messenger of truth”.  Look for arguments that send the following messages:

• “What I am telling you ARE the facts and these facts have, and always will, withstand any test.”
• “ Anybody that disagrees with ‘us’ is either stupid or is trying to undermine ‘our’ dedication and hard work.” 
• “ They have access to the same evidence, but they either ignore it or deliberately misinterpret it to suit their own agenda or hypothesis.”

2. Handwaving or “Your views have no merit”.  Look for ‘arguments’ that dismiss other views out of hand.  Often accompanied by Sign #1 with the opponent usually being dismissed – not specifically their argument.

3. Unwavering commitment or “I know I am right – why bother arguing?”  Anybody who refuses to accept that they may not be 100% correct, or might be looking at the evidence through their own preferred colour of glasses is not being honest to themselves or to their readers/listeners. 

4. Avoiding/Ignoring the question or “  . . . and let’s not forget about . . .” Anybody who refuses to admit that their argument is weak in an area and, worse still, avoids answering difficult questions in that area is being intellectually dishonest.  If they don’t ignore the question, these people are easily recognised from their efforts to change the subject. 

5. Never admitting error or “I am/We are right – regardless of your evidence”.  These are the people who will never admit that they are wrong – ever – regardless of clear evidence that demonstrates their error. See Sign #1

6. Employing double standards or “Your evidence is unacceptable (because it’s your evidence)”.  This is a question of how high the bar is set for the acceptance of evidence – the bar is set at a much higher level for the other party, while it is set far lower for his/her own evidence.

7. Argumentum ad hominem or “You’re a [insert label/stereotype here] . . . and you have a secret agenda” This is a favoured approach used by those who might be arguing from a weak position.  It is typically employed to avoid answering a difficult question (Sign #4) or used in conjunction with handwaving (Sign #2).

8. Destroying a straw man or “You might say that, but how do you explain . . . ?”.   Usually a case of shifting the subject and attacking the opponent’s position on that, unrelated or remotely related, topic. This is usually employed in an effort to avoid a question (Sign #4) or when the speaker/writer doesn’t have the knowledge to address the issue.

9. Ignoring the principles of critical thinking.  Relying on one source of information – usually without question.  Anybody who only considers information from a single book, article, paper, video – or any number of these from sources that are known to support that person’s views or opinions is being intellectually dishonest. Sign #1 usually applies in this case.

10. Ignoring [partial] defeat or See Sign #1  An intellectually dishonest speaker/writer will NEVER admit that the other side has found a hole in their argument.  You will never see them congratulate an opponent on finding a flaw in their argument and they will use all of the other signs if necessary to draw your attention away from the subject.

I think I’ll be referring to my 10 Signs in future posts as well . . . there will be plenty of examples of each of them that I’ll be running across as my blog matures.  Why not keep them in mind while you’re reading that newspaper, webpage, book or magazine?  I hope you aren’t too surprised when you see how often you recognise them!

When you do recognise them, examine their effect on the argument – while practicing the art of being intellectually honest with yourself!

Cheers ‘n beers everyone!

This blog is a work in progress.  Give me some time to get it up and running and I’ll see you on your next visit!

Thanks to Online Infidels and davo who put in the hard yards to get it up and running.  This is going to be a blogspace that contributes toward reality and reason – as well as its fair share of whimsy!