“It is always more difficult to fight against faith than knowledge.”
I strongly believe the above quote to be true. I agree with it. I think it is crucial to understanding mass psychology, society and politics. I also think it’s the principle that governs all propaganda and public relations.
Who said it? Adolph Hitler.
This therefore, must mean that I am a Nazi, a Nazi supporter or a fan of Hitler. Of course I’m none of these things and there are many people I’m sure who agree with the statement and are none of these things either. It’s an idea, and ideas have a certain level of independence from those who promote them. So do principles and policies.
This is all fairly evident. Most people understand this. However, many people willfully ignore it when it suits their purposes – mainly when they are trying to advance an argument. This is in fact a very common fallacious argument – ad hominem or “argument to the man”. It’s also extremely common on the Daily Kos rec list these days as Obama supporters use it relentlessly to shut down discussion on Ron Paul and the rightward shift of the Democratic Party.
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