Sound conclusions need facts, logic

Today, in national and world affairs, volume and repetition dominate facts and logic. Using facts to support logic leads to strong arguments and sound conclusions. An argument fails when the facts are incorrect or are used improperly. If facts are known and substantiated, the logic may fail because of logical fallacies. Irrelevant appeals are a subset of fallacies and are logic killers; all these may apply to the current administration.

The appeal to authority means someone who has knowledge on a subject must be right because that’s his expertise. History is littered with hubristic leaders and authorities who were proven wrong and suffered consequences.

The appeal to tradition is the comfort food of logical thought. Claims of making something great again by retreating to the past but ignoring current realities fits here.

The appeal to novelty is the opposite of tradition. At some point, every idea or person was new, but that didn’t guarantee success.

And the appeal to wealth is perhaps the most garish of fallacies. When wealth is an overly valued, those who have it must be correct.

We need to take a good look at what passes for facts and logic, then make sound conclusions.

Peter Steyn