MODERN ERRORS: #1 Arguing In The Margins
E veryone has heard the axiom "...the exception defines the rule...". Well that's all changed in contemporary thought. In today's marketplace of ideas "... the exception IS the rule...". This is the result of what I call 'arguing in the margins' of a given case or about all cases in general. This manner of argumentation has become mainstream as the evidence is overwhelming. The random passing atheist sees a religious shrine on a distant hill and convinces the rest of a willing society that such a sight is so offensive to him/her that it must be removed over the objection of the surrounding citizens that put it there. You can't schedule a Christmas party because it may offend non-Christian guests. You can't debate the social ethics of homosexual marriage because such a debate may be taken as mean and hateful homophobic speech. You can't disagree with the 'consensus' of some climate change scientists because you're wro