Worst Leaps of Logic?

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2002-09-09 09:16pm

We all know of the "Leap of Logic" fallacy, and there are many cases in real life. The one I most know are Trekkie arguments, such as the "no laser" argument, the "invincible Borg" argument, and others. I was also thinking that jumping to conclusions are like a leap of logic: for example, Trekkies use the phrase ".5 beyond lightspeed", and jump to the conclusion that Han meant 1.5c. Does anyone else know of leaps of logic used by other people?

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2002-09-09 09:20pm

Warp strifing tops mine

*Edit right after that is that Transport is possible today

Post by **weemadando** » 2002-09-09 09:36pm

God does exist! The Bible says so!

That one certainly gets my vote.

Alyeska · Post by **Alyeska** » 2002-09-09 09:53pm

Mr Bean wrote:Warp strifing tops mine

*Edit right after that is that Transport is possible today

I should think a leap of logic about "real" issues would rate higher on your list then disagreements in scifi debates. Even the worst leap of logic I have seen in a scifi debate has yet to rank very high on my overall list of ones I have seen.

Here is my personal favorite.

"You need no evidence that god exists, just have faith."

WTF

How the hell are you supposed to work with that? Might as well say "You need no evidence that it is possible to implode the earth by wiggling your pinky finger, just have faith you can do it." Its fucking telling people to believe something WITH NO FUCKING PROOF!?!?!?!

Evil Jerk · Post by **Evil Jerk** » 2002-09-09 09:57pm

I've encountered a few morons who firmly believe that:
"We exist, therefore God exists, because God created us"

And that's it. No explanations, no evidence, just one massive leap.

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2002-09-09 10:03pm

I like the creationist Mike had that was talking about how because there are gorillas on earth, it is proof enough for him that people did not evolve from them, and that therefore evolution did not happen.

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2002-09-09 10:05pm

...MoO, you're joking, right? Please tell me you are.

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2002-09-09 10:08pm

Cyril wrote:...MoO, you're joking, right? Please tell me you are.

No, seriously. You can read the person's message to Mike on this very website. I think that the thread is something like "Creationist Idiots." That was essentially that guy's only point on the topic! The other one's, to me at least, did not seem quite so stupid, but that one was ridiculous. Basically he was taking about ten misconceptions about evolution and then deciding that it did not exist based on those assumptions. He had no knowledge, whatsoever, of the subject, other than what I could get by going to a church in the Coal Regions of Pennsylvania.

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2002-09-09 11:20pm

I am always fond of when Azeron said that because a weather baloon made of a 0.002cm polyethylene film could go 26 miles up, a mile long rigid airship could do the same.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2002-09-10 12:23am

Darkstar can spell, possibly read, and use a computer, thus he must be intelligent.

Nuclear weapons won't ever be used again, thus defending against them is pointless, well that’s really two in one.

Clinton was a good president

The media can be unbiased

I'm sure I can think of more tomorrow.

Post by **weemadando** » 2002-09-10 12:37am

"We must protect ourselves against nations that are developing and hoarding weapons of mass destruction."

That coming from a place that has the largest nuclear armed and capable fleet, the SAC, USAMRIID, do I have to continue?

Kahlis · Post by **Kahlis** » 2002-09-10 03:46am

- "Some bodies in the solar system spin in a direction opposite to the majority of the bodies. Thus, by the 'conservation of angular momentum' the big bang is false." [abridged excerpt from an actual Creationist television program..oi]

- Anything related to saying God does not exist as a consequence of physical existence.

- Crying out against the concept of God and moral absolutism on the grounds of injustice without recognizing that the very concept of "injustice" presupposes a natural order called "just" and thus contradicts itself.

Enlightenment · Post by **Enlightenment** » 2002-09-10 04:03am

"If you disagree with American government policy you must therefore support bin Laden/Saddam/China/North Korea/etc/etc and cheer when americans are killed by terrorists."

I've actually seen a rightwingnut pull this stunt; someone was arguing about the (lack of) merits behind BMD and the wingnut lept to the stunning conclusion that the BMD opponent must have cheered the Sept 11 attacks. Real Americans. Gotta love all 250 million of 'em....or else.

adam warlock · Post by **adam warlock** » 2002-09-10 04:12pm

"If you disagree with American government policy you must therefore support bin Laden/Saddam/China/North Korea/etc/etc and cheer when americans are killed by terrorists."

I've actually seen a rightwingnut pull this stunt; someone was arguing about the (lack of) merits behind BMD and the wingnut lept to the stunning conclusion that the BMD opponent must have cheered the Sept 11 attacks. Real Americans. Gotta love all 250 million of 'em....or else.

sounds like mr cuddly azeron.

Enlightenment · Post by **Enlightenment** » 2002-09-10 05:56pm

adam warlock wrote:sounds like mr cuddly azeron.

Unfortunately Azeron isn't unique or even rare. In the incident I mentioned, the same leap of stupidity was simultainously made by about half a dozen rightwingnuts.

In an unrelated event, in Montreal today former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu made the same leap of stupidity when he branded people protesting his arrival as supporters of bin Laden. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2248555.stm

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2002-09-10 06:01pm

Naw. He knows they're not. He's just trying to be a devious politician.

Post by **Alyrium Denryle** » 2002-09-14 11:53pm

"Homosexuality is a sin because God created Adam and EVE not Adam and STEVE" Not only is ths a leap of logic but also self-contradictory. If god creates everyone then he did create Steve, and Bruce, and Helen, and Toby, and Patty, and Emily, and ...

Darth Yoshi · Post by **Darth Yoshi** » 2002-09-15 12:45am

To paraphrase DarkStar: Lucas said that the EU is a parallel universe, thus the EU is invalid.