Saturday, February 17, 2007

Understanding Objectivist Jargon Pt 6: "A is A"

"A is A" =
i) Shorthand for the Law of Identity
ii) Buzzphrase, the mere invocation of which is believed to validate any argument, or invalidate any opposing argument.

Example usage:
"Those who oppose the war in Iraq inherently deny that 'A is A'"
and
"Those who support the war in Iraq inherently deny that 'A is A'"

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, sure! This is the favorite incantation of the randroids. Those parrots seem to think that adding this formula to their argument will make it more potent. Using "abradacabra" or "hail Mary" is at least as effective however.

Unknown said...

And of course, no sane person disputes that "A is A."

The real questions are "What is the nature of A?" and "Do we know everything about A?"

When deployed in an argument, the tautology "A is A" assumes not only that A is completely knowable, but is in fact completely known.

Anonymous said...

In an insanse era and half sober person willing to stand up for rationality would seems like a genius.

Anonymous said...

In an insane era any half sober person willing to stand up for rationality would seems like a genius.