How haters and extremists take arguably true statements about the world and leverage them into insane conspiracy theories

Alan Roebuck writes:

You recently linked this VFR post from 2007 in which you and a reader discuss the tendency of certain people to magnify a few valid criticisms of a nation into a total demonization of that nation. You wrote

But, in their own minds, they subsume their demonization of Israel under their one particle of rational criticism of Israel, and imagine that they are being called anti-Semites merely for making rational criticism of Israel.

Which, of course, only confirms their anti-Semitic world view.

We need a short-hand tervm for this fallacy, or family of fallacies.

What about “intellectual [or moral] synecdoche”? Confusing the whole and the part.

LA replies:

I don’t think “synecdoche” is precise or descriptive enough for the ploy or fallacy you’re trying to get at; also, a synecdoche is a legitimate figure of speech. The idea here is more like: “Legitimizing a massive, evil lie by adding one tiny piece of truth to it.”

Posted by Lawrence Auster at January 15, 2009 11:25 PM | Send