One of my chat buddies reminded me of an old problem in reasoning. When asking why he supported a particular position, it came back to me in the form of why not.

It's a rather effective turning of the tables, since the situation goes from asking someone to build a positive defense of a position to trying to build a negative refutation of the same position. It can also shield the one being asked from thinking about why they believe what they do, tacitly challenging someone else to convince them wrong.

Why not is also used sometimes as a reason in itself. Sometimes people will believe something simply because they can not see any possible reason not to believe it. Contraception and gay marriage strike me as two big issues which a lot of people will go along with simply because they can't find any reason why they shouldn't.

But people should really be prepared to defend their positions when asked why. It's a poor reason to do or believe something simply because you can't see why you shouldn't. There should always be a positive reason behind actions and beliefs.

- Posted by in Common Sense at 1:14 AM