On 4/16/05, Tony Sidaway minorityreport@bluebottle.com wrote:
Richard Holton said:
On 4/16/05, Tony Sidaway minorityreport@bluebottle.com wrote:
Ray Saintonge said:
I prefer a Dostoevskian revolutionary who will hesitate to throw a bomb when he realizes that it would harm others beyond his intended victim.
All hail to Fyodor, but really what harm can be caused by a good bit of ridicule? Are we simply to modestly avert our gaze when the king is so keen to display his march brazenly down the street insisting that we pay due deference to his kingly robes? To fail to point out that he appears to be stark bollock naked would be a gross failure of citizenship.
What harm can be cause by personal attacks, which we have a policy against?
We're not going to get anywhere if you insist on lumping attacks on ideas alongside attacks on persons.
Your distinction, in this case, is false. Ridicule can be just as easily addressed to people as to ideas. In fact, ridicule, even against an idea, is specifically designed to have an impact on the adherents of that idea. It behaves very much like a personal attack (as I mentioned early).
Criticism can be distinguished from ridicule by its basis in logical argument and by its respect for others. I am criticizing your criticism of my post. Neither of us has engaged in ridicule. I hope you can see the difference.
-- Rich Holton
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