108. THOUGHT POLICE - Why Thoughts Might Matter As Much As Deeds

“Imagine the police-force where you live offer you the choice of one of two officers to be your local law enforcement from now on:

1) An officer who holds prejudiced thoughts against people like you (taken to mean whatever characteristic you want it to that identifies you specifically - i.e. ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disability, hair colour, accent - whatever).

2) An officer who holds no prejudice against people like you.

Both officers have taken a pledge not to discriminate against certain groups of people and have received training to support this pledge. There will be sanctions in place if such discrimination happens and Officer #1 is fully aware that their prejudiced thoughts would not be condoned if turned into discriminatory action.

Which officer would you choose?“

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84. NO TRUE ARGUMENT - How A Basic Fallacy Stops Criticism And Prevents Peace

“That this well documented fallacy remains so effective and so frequently used is one of the frustrating reminders that knowledge of philosophy, and of the mechanics of arguments, is not necessarily a path to happiness or contentedness. Often, it simply means being fully aware that an argument is faulty, but seeing it work to convince people regardless.“

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