[lit-ideas] Premature withdrawal from Iraq
- From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 10:05:58 -0800
Phil: This is the sort of tangent I hate to get into. It is essentially a
quibble. To insist on a clear distinction between a premise and an
assumption is more than language will bear. I can (but hope not to) produce
countless examples of assumptions that are also premises.
Furthermore any assumption can be defined in such a way that it can be seen
as a premise in a valid syllogism.
You are not challenging my assumptions as premises. You are challenging the
truth of my assumptions which is another matter entirely. I assume that
people as a rule (one mustn't forget that Mike Geary is an exception here)
will not take actions they know will result in their own destruction.
Now as to the popular American belief that we can with equanimity downgrade
the Islamist threat by means of such arguments as John Esposito mounted in
The Islamic Threat, Myth or Reality, I am assuming that if these people
understood what I have understood as a result of my studies that they would
not retain their equanimity but would instead want to take action to prevent
the Islamic threat from causing harm. The Islamist threat, despite
Esposito's arguments, has turned out to be a reality rather than a myth.
I continue to qualify my assumptions as such because they are based upon my
studies and not readily conveyed to a reader. The clean solution to this
isn't really practical, i.e., to have everyone who wants to understand my
assumptions read all the books I have. Also, my attempts to describe
salient features of my studies will not have the effect that an entire book
will have. If David Horowitz for example could make his point in a
paragraph or two then what advantage is there in his book?
I assume, based on my study of the Islamists, that if we withdraw
prematurely that they will not only interpret our withdrawal as a great
propaganda victory, but they will reap the practical reward of fighting
against an inferior force. My understanding, my assumption, is that the
Iraqis interested in the preservation of their fledgling democracy
understand this perfectly well. They, I am convinced, do not want us to
withdraw prematurely.
So who does want us to withdraw prematurely? The Islamists obviously, but
the Leftists also want us to. David Horowitz has analyzed this matter in
Unholy Alliance, Radical Islam and the American Left.
Lawrence
-----Original Message-----
From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Phil Enns
Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2006 9:12 AM
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Text of bin Laden Tape
Lawrence Helm wrote:
"A premise is an assumption. An Assumption in an argument is a premise.
A premise in a syllogism is an assumption if the logic is valid. My
argument only needs to follow from its assumptions to be valid."
Not quite. First, a premise is not an assumption but something about
which one can say that it is either true or false. To be picky, it says
of one thing only one thing. An assumption is a belief held prior to,
or apart from, the argument, but is not a necessary part of that
argument. An assumption is not a fact, nor can it be shown to be true
or false, but rather is taken, or assumed, to be the case. Since it
must be assumed, that is held on grounds other than being true, an
assumption cannot be a premise.
This is all very abstract, so let's look at Lawrence's assumption. "I
am assuming that these people would not seek their own destruction if
they understood what was at stake." This is really a case of begging
the question since it assumes the answer, namely, that if 'these people'
understood that they were wrong, they would not hold the beliefs they
do. In short, Lawrence's assumption is that his interlocutors are
wrong. Given this assumption, Lawrence claims that people who wrongly
understand the enemy and call for the withdrawal of troops, wrongly
understand the enemy. It may be the case that all syllogisms are
tautological, but what Lawrence gives is merely tautological.
However, Lawrence's assumption is independent of his original argument
that "From the fact that so many people want us to withdraw prematurely
from Iraq it is clear that millions don't understand the 'importance' of
fighting this enemy." What Lawrence's assumption contributes is the
qualification that 'these people' don't understand. But as the argument
stands, there is nothing about the fact of calling for the withdrawal of
troops that makes it true that they don't understand. I even provided a
fleshed out argument that included a call for withdrawal as well as an
understanding of the jihadists. So, the argument is a non sequitur. In
order to make it even appear like a valid argument, Lawrence must assume
that 'these people' don't understand. That is, Lawrence assumes his
conclusion.
Lawrence may be right, that withdrawing troops now would be disastrous,
but arguing as he does only serves to make the issues less, rather than
more, clear. And that cannot be good for a country that is sending
young people to kill and be killed.
Lawrence also wrote:
"You deprecate 'what the Jihadists say.'"
Again, not quite. What I deprecate are those occasions where people
make claims that go directly against reality. This includes bin Laden
claiming victory in Iraq, when the jihadists are becoming increasingly
isolated and desperate, and Bush claiming victory when both Americans
and Iraqis are daily being killed by the dozens. I am well aware of how
prone Arabs are to conspiracy theories, but when lives are at stake, we
should be more concerned about facts on the ground. Let bin Laden and
co. believe what they like as long as Iraqi police and soldiers are
patrolling peaceful streets. If you were paying attention to those
books, you will know that no fact, no state of affairs, can ever clear
up a conspiracy theory.
Sincerely,
Phil Enns
Toronto, ON
------------------------------------------------------------------
To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off,
digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
Other related posts:
