People Over Profits: Faulty Logic

From the Truth Project - by Dr. Del Tackett - One of the consistent signs exhibited at the Occupy Wall Street protests is the slogan: “People Over Profits”. If you hear them chanting anything, it will probably be this slogan. It is intended to make the reader or hearer believe two things:–1st that people and profits are a contradiction. That is, one can either support uplifting people or pursue profits, but obviously not both;–and 2nd, given this horrible dilemma, one must choose people. Now, if the 1st premise is true, then I would agree that choosing people is the better choice. However, this is a much-used ploy in attempting to fool the opponent with faulty logic by setting up a false contradiction. Maybe someone should start a group called “Up With Profits” and sing about how profits help people…immensely.–Profits produce food…–Profits produce clothes…–Profits produce tractors and plows and medicine and seat belts and sunscreen and chocolate ice cream. But most importantly, profits produce jobs…more jobs…and that is exactly what the poor need. So, next time you see someone with a “people over profits” sign, recognize the problems with their logic and engage them in a winsome conversation about how those two things are not contradictory. You may want to illustrate by showing them that the only way they could make the sign was to use the profits of the paper company and the profits of the pen company and even the profits of their teachers who taught them to write but failed to teach them logic. Read more

People Over Profits: Faulty Logic