My mother was an avid birdwatcher. From her I learned that there are many species of birds that look similar, but can only be distinguished by tiny details. So, birdwatchers in the wild will take along a book called a “field guide” to help with on-the-spot identification. One of the best known was Roger Tory Peterson’s Field Guide to the Birds.
These days we find ourselves in need of a similar guide to spot and identify bad arguments. And, with the deluge of arguments being hurled at us each day — from salespeople and pundits and reporters and politicians and “experts” — we need to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff quickly.
I have identified nine of the most common bad arguments that we encounter in everyday life, and have developed a system to spot them quickly. My goal is to provide a handy guide to separate the arguments that are good from the arguments that are, well, for the birds. I also have some more ambitious goals that I will cover in a later entry.
The arguments are numbered, running from BZL 1 (pronounced “BEE-zul one”) through BZL 10. Each has a mnemonic associated with it, to make it easier to recall in the heat of argument. I limited the total number to ten because Top Ten lists are popular, and because if there are too many on the list, it stops being useful.
Therefore, one category, BZL 9, is a catchall, used for any bad argument that doesn’t fit into one of the other categories. The catchall is useful because there are more than nine ways of arguing illogically or unfairly, and it is nice to have a place to put an argument that stinks until you can figure out exactly why it stinks.
Each argument will receive more attention in future posts, but for now here’s the list.
BZL 1–Stealing First Base. Trying to win an argument by making unwarranted assumptions.
BZL 2 –“Deceptive Labeling, a/k/a “The Curveball”. Trying to win an argument by distorting the meaning of words.
BZL 3 — “Them.” Trying to win an argument by being vague.
BZL 4 — Fear, and other emotions. Trying to win an argument by appeals to emotion.
BZL 5 — Rhymes with jive. Trying to win an argument by changing or avoiding the subject.
BZL 6 — “Says who?” Trying to win an argument by an appeal to authority.
BZL 7 — Hell or heaven. Trying to win an argument by setting up a false dichotomy.
BZL 8 — “Pretend it’s straight.” Trying to win an argument by assuming things are simpler than they really are.
BZL 9 — Personal Attacks. Bullying and intimidation.
BZL 10 — Turning the volume up to 10. Trying to win an argument by talking over someone, or mindless repetition of talking points.
