SOPHISM IN THE ART OF POLITICS
(Erico Joseph T. Cañete)
IT’S TIME AGAIN for political advertisements, posters, pamphlets, flyers and other campaign paraphernalia. Shadows of the political candidates are ubiquitous. Impish grin marks the contenders face as a means to allure the voters. Promises for a better future and governance aired via media or in political gatherings may be raucous, a noise pollutant or a sincere voice of altruism.
Sadly, everywhere we hear bellicose rhetoric from foul mouthed politicians or from their mouthpieces and allies aimed to destroy the opponents’ credibility and dignity. Sophism, deceptive ideas expressed through terms or words, is used to derail the voters’ choice.
We can probably excuse fallacy for it’s done unintentionally through inadvertence as a result of a mental slip. Yet, fallacy ceases to be fallacy if used with malice. It becomes sophism.
Few days back, the House holds a fake news probe where a group of social media personalities and vloggers were summoned by the House tri-committee. This was a good move as long as the intention of the lawmakers is to stop alleged role in spreading misleading on line content, condemn the evil of lies, and seek the truth. It would be a different story if their intention was, instead of stopping the spread of fake news, act in conspiracy to suppress the truth brought by these resource persons. Truth then becomes subjective and no longer objective.
Recently, a palace official made a pronouncement that the Philippine government does not honor the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the country. Is this not contradictory to their action cooperating with the the said criminal court in the arrest of FPRRD?
Is this not sophism in the Principle of Non-Contradiction where IS is equivalent to IS NOT and vice versa?
How many innocent minds are twisted by this error? How many self donations and pretended ignorance were made on the strength of these lies, deceptions and sophism?
Isn’t it that we live in society where we owe each other that which contributes to order and harmony? Isn’t it that order in society is only possible if people trust each other? Isn’t it that people trust each other if they tell the truth?
I think so.
Shame on sophism! It barricades the function of the intellect in seeing the truth. It leads to discord and belligerence derailing our vision for utopia. The need to tell the truth is a sine qua non condition in achieving the common good.
Everything changes after the election. We hope that the changes be of help.