Handy guide to “the 10 signs of intellectual honesty” by Mike Gene, author of The Design Matrix: A Consilience of Clues. Here’s one to think about next time you tune into Rush Limbaugh:
8. When addressing an argument, do not misrepresent it. A common tactic of the intellectually dishonest is to portray their opponent’s argument in straw man terms. In politics, this is called spin. Typically, such tactics eschew quoting the person in context, but instead rely heavily on out-of-context quotes, paraphrasing and impression. When addressing an argument, one should shows signs of having made a serious effort to first understand the argument and then accurately represent it in its strongest form.
