False Equivalence in Politics and Newspaper Publishing
Having been the target of many clever mechanisms of rhetoric including false dichotomy, ad hominem dismissal, etc., I found James Fallows’s [@JamesFallows] article in The Atlantic yesterday on the origin and manifestations of “false equivalence” to be enlightening. One quote in particular from Shreeharsh Kelkar of MIT echos a complaint directed at me by a […]
Revolving Door of City Planning in Scottsdale
Last week’s AZ Central article, Scottsdale Waterfront enters final phases of construction, barely touches upon the controversy leading up to the groundbreaking for this “Downtown Infill Incentive District” housing project. That turmoil included legal protests, threats of lawsuits from well-heeled residents of the existing Waterfront towers, zoning attorneys going head-to-head at the Kiva, and Councilwoman […]
Quotes of the Day: Honesty and Insanity
Society can exist only on the basis that there is some amount of polished lying and that no one says exactly as he thinks. Lin Yu-tang, 1895-1976, Chinese writer, Nobel nominee, and inventor of the Chinese typewriter. Honesty is the best policy, but insanity is a better defense. Steve Landesberg, 1936-2010, American […]