Hey what’s up guys! Kathy Gibbens here…
Let’s start with a quick review of a fallacy we’ve discussed earlier in the season: propaganda. Propaganda comes in many different forms, but ultimately, propaganda is an attempt to get you to buy into an idea or a belief. Brittanica.com defines propaganda as “the dissemination of information—facts, arguments, rumors, half-truths, or lies—to influence public opinion.”
So here’s the question to ask yourself when you’re faced with propaganda: “Who’s behind this message, what are they trying to get me to do, think or believe, and what emotion are they trying to evoke to do so? Is what they’re saying really true??”
If you want to hear more about this fallacy, and I highly encourage you to do so b/c there are a lot of different kinds of propaganda! Go back and check out Episode 22.
Ok, today’s new fallacy is the Ambiguity Fallacy. The Ambiguity Fallacy happens when someone is unclear about certain terms of the argument, or about a definition used in the argument. It makes things confusing. Oftentimes, this ambiguity sounds really good…it can sound like a very compelling phrase, but that doesn’t mean that it’s accurate. Ambiguities can happen on purpose, when someone is purposefully trying to mislead you, downplay part of the argument or overemphasize another part of the argument. And of course, a lot of times, it happens sort of by accident b/c the other person hasn’t fully formed a good argument and is making assumptions that the other person knows what you’re talking about.
Here’s a simple example that you may have seen and made jokes about. Sometimes, when you’re driving in a neighborhood you could see a sign that says: Slow children playing. The sign is meant to tell drivers to drive slowly b/c there are children likely to be playing outside & they could run into the street unexpectedly. But the joke that is made is: watch out for the slow children playing on this street! So you can see how the ambiguity of the sign makes for some confusion, and maybe a little humor.
If this fallacy sounds familiar, it’s because it’s similar to another one we’ve already talked about: equivocation. Equivocation is when someone changes the meaning of a single word in the middle of an argument or conversation, thus creating confusion. Whereas the Ambiguity Fallacy refers to creating confusion around entire phrases instead of just words. But both are used to mislead or misrepresent the truth.
A common example of this that has come up in recent years is using the phrase, “Black Lives Matter”. Brandon could ask, “Do you support & believe Black Lives Matter?” Lisa replies: “Yes, of course I do!” To which Brandon says, “Then you’re saying you support rioting & looting of stores!” And Lisa’s like…”wait, I never said that!”
Do you see what’s happening here? The phrase Black Lives Matter has become ambiguous. Are you referring to the organization that has stated they’re against the nuclear family, endorses communism and supported the riots? Or, Are you using the phrase as a sentiment to say that, yes, absolutely, black lives are important! Or are you using it in some other way? It has become confusing and ambiguous at best. This is why definition matters so much. If you don’t take the time to define your terms, it’s very easy for miscommunication to happen!
So the question to ask yourself when you’re facing ambiguity is pretty simple: “What do they really mean by that phrase?” *repeat*
Tune in tomorrow when I’ll share another form of the Ambiguity Fallacy that I think you’ll find fun.
Remember: When you learn HOW to think, you will no longer fall prey to those who are trying to tell you what THEY want you to think and it all starts with asking one simple question: “Is that really true?”
