It's Not Quite Electric Sheep, But …
I confess, I'm feeling cynical. Thus—
Do you actually believe people would just give you gifts without expecting something in return?
—I don't know, man, do you think he's actually thought it through?
He doesn't seem to recognize any particular concept involved, just a generic differention of circumstance. Here's an important phrase:
"the appearance of impropriety". Judges are supposed to avoid it explicitly, but its presence in the actions of other officials, such as a president or legislator or prosecutor, while not outright forbidden, creates material questions about the actions of public institutions.
In this context, WoW does not seem able to discern the appearance of impropriety.
†
A'ight, so, you're (Q), which means you ought to be able to remember part of our common experience from once upon a time:
The idea of expecting evidence to support extraordinary claims is not itself extraordinary. After all, the old saying is
extraordinary evidence to support extraordinary claims. But, sure, y'know, like, "God", and starting with something more than a fallacy and the weight of uncertainty.
But what about claims that don't involve God, or magic, or legendary creatures, &c.?
Yeah, what our neighbor is doing now is what happens if we're so worried about stifling political views that it's unfair to expect people to support their arguments. And over time, we find that need tends to work in certain, particular ways.
I mean, it's one thing if creationists need fake science, and anti-abortion folks need medical quackery; and, sure, there is no "gay gene", but that's a fallacy, just like the political point that there is no explicit right to privacy in the U.S. Constitution¹; there's a whole bunch of people upset about the number of sexes that exist; and for the rest, a catch-all in sincerely held beliefs and the transition to alternative facts.
Oh, right, it's one thing if, but maybe at some point that
is the point, that certain arguments are insupportable.
Still, the question persists:
What political view would we be suppressing by expecting a rational, supported explanation of what our neighbor means?
Think of it this way, WOW very likely doesn't know how badly he just insulted Justice Alito in re
Loomer.
____________________
Notes:
¹ i.e., Some circumstances are cumulative effects, resulting from the coincidence of multiple factors. (And if we take a moment to think about the fact that some people might actually need that explanation, a few unsettling, even foreboding, questions arise.)
