When you spend as much time around dumb ideas as I do, patterns emerge. Previously, I noted short-term thinking. Another cause is argument fallacies, which are errors in reasoning. As an academic, I’ve studied fallacies for decades. The straw-person argument can occur when I mindread my opponents’ intentions, assuming they are corrupt. For example, no matter what progressives say about compassion in immigration policy, I know they want open borders to build a permanent electoral majority. Conservatives say they just want to cut spending, but you and I know their real motive is tax breaks for billionaires.
A related problem is the “fundamental attribution error.” We judge others on their actions, but judge ourselves by our intentions. You ran that stop sign because you’re a reckless driver. I ran a stop sign because I’m stressed out at work. There are two kinds of mind-readers: those who know they can’t, and others who think they can.
Then the third-person effect means I know other people are dangerously influenced by violent media, but I’m not. (Everybody thinks they’re the savvy ones.) That’s just a few errant mindsets. Logicians identify dozens of classifiable fallacies, which doesn’t stop us from falling for them. The best and brightest can be just as susceptible to poor reasoning. When we learn about fallacies and apply them to our own thinking rather than point fingers, everyone benefits.
Controversies contain nuance, requiring a tolerance for ambiguity. Can we appreciate diverse viewpoints instead of going at each other’s throats? (That’s another fallacy.) Author Thomas Hollihan says the “ability to conduct a civilized and polite argument… to argue and disagree with someone while also [protecting] your relationship … is one of the most important things that people must learn.” Now that’s smart thinking.
I’m Jeff Gentry
Best reference:
Hollihan, T.A., and Baaske, K.T. (2022). Arguments and arguing: The products and process of human decision making (4th ed.). Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press.
Dumb Ideas that Changed the World copyright 2025 by Jeff Gentry. All rights reserved.
