7 Mind-F*cking Arguments

So my daughter took a training class in critical thinking at work. 

And she brought home an excellent handout from the instructor, Haywood Spangler, about how people try to get you to their point of view, but without any real solid reasoning behind it.

My mother-in-law calls this concept in blunt terms, mind-f*cking!

Here are some examples:

1) Genetic Fallacy – Rejecting an idea based on where or who it comes from, rather than the merits of the idea itself.  I call this one, you’re an idiot, so your ideas are idiotic. 

2) Circular Reasoning – Restating the conclusion, rather than proving it. I call this hammering or going no where fast. 

3) Red Herring – Diverting from the real issue as a distraction. I call this the shell game. 

4) Ad Hoc Reasoning – Coming up with a reason to simply reject your every objection. I call this just say it isn’t so. 

5) False Dichotomy – Oversimplifying a complex situation and making it into only black and white. I call this my way or the highway.

6) Slippery Slope – Supposing that if one thing happens then something else terrible must necessarily follow. I call this following the false causality. 

7) Band Wagon – Everyone is doing it, so you need to also.  I call this classic groupthink or be careful not to stand in front of a moving train. 

Basically, when someone is not taking with you, but at you and trying to make you just do what they want, period, then watch out, you are probably being gloriously mind-f*cked. 

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Really Smart Cities

This is unbelievable design work by Jacque Fresco–architect, futurist and only 96-years old!

As you watch this video, you just have to ask yourself, why didn’t we think of that sooner?

His design for the city of the future just seems so intuitive–and in aggregate looks almost like the Internet with a mesh design of interlocking cities working together harmoniously.

Great concepts:

– Circular cities–with a city center or central hub of essential services (medical, fire, police, etc.) and shopping, and radiating bands of living quarters, agriculture, and recreation.

– Build from the ground up–rather than build piecemeal, you build the entire architected city from the ground up–first underground infrastructure then building foundations, structures, and all modular, interlocking, interchangeable, and constantly maintained.

– Transportation Conveyers–transport up, down, and around by speedy conveyers or between city hubs by underground maglev trains.

– Recycle Everything–this is an environment where nothing is wasted and everything gets recycled.

– Energy Sustainability–all buildings have photovoltaic or solar cells for generating their own renewable energy resources.

– Clean Water/Air–vital resources like water and air is piped in, cleaned, and constantly monitored for safety.

Wow, this is a day and night difference from any city that I have ever seen–wouldn’t this be the type of place you’d like to raise your family in the future.

Maybe there are times when starting over with a fresh architecture perspective versus just tinkering with the old is necessary to make a bold leap forward–do you think this one of them? 😉