





Zach liked Kristol’s bad analogy too!


I think this is an informative tweet on several levels. First and foremost it’s a bad analogy. Let’s break it down:

He’s equated “understanding gun terminology” with “understanding biology of a heroin overdose”. So far this is an alright comparison to make. Both require detailed understanding of parts/anatomy of the specific entities in question, both require a detailed understanding of the functions of those parts as well as what happens to those parts when modified or used.

His next comparison is “to have opinions on gun policy” with “to have an opinion on the drug war”. Here’s where his analogy breaks down. We have the comparison of concrete applicable specific regulations to abstract values-centric generalities. Gun “policy” consists of a distinct set of plans and regulations which must be clear and consistent. Of course any specific set of such comprising gun “policy” derives FROM a larger more abstract set of values regarding the relationship of firearms and society.

Whatever any individual’s larger more abstract set of values regarding firearms & society is, or to say “to have an opinion on firearms” IS comparable to Beauchamp’s analog: “to have an opinion on the drug war”.

From the other angle, “to have an opinion on the drug war” consists of general notions of values, rights, duties, community imperatives, and other more abstract notions that govern an individual’s approach to the topic. The drug “war” is a larger topic than any particular set of specific policies pursuing it. To more closely resemble an analog to “to have opinions on gun policy”, Beauchamp would need to correct the term “to have opinions on drug enforcement policy”.

Second, as the errors in the analogy are understandable, they show us that there is a continuum on which lie “how society handles problems.” At one end of the continuum, we have abstractions – our values, our goals, and our ethical processes we use to weigh and compare them. At the other end of the continuum, we have detailed and concrete actions – policies, laws, regulations, etc. When our community faces any particular “problem”, consideration of that problem appropriately begins on the abstract end and works its way to the concrete end – and we discover that, even if we agree on our values at the starting point, we may have sharp disagreements at the end point.

Beauchamp is right in implying we all have a right to have and express opinions on the abstract side, he’s merely errant in applying that principle when we get to expressing opinions about the specific policies that pursue the values from the abstract side. If we want a policy that addresses the effects of “heroin overdoses” as part of the larger “drug war”, we better well understand the biology of heroin overdoses if we want to actually make sure those policies nest consistently with the greater values pursued. That means knowing the parts and processes of biology.

That being said, any person certainly CAN have a general set of values regarding firearms and whether or not they should be limited, but they better well understand the parts and processes of firearms if they actually want to make sure and specific policies nest consistently with their greater values.

5 thoughts on “Comment Of The Day: “The Desperate ‘Gunsplaining’ Dodge”

  1. Excellent and much appreciated COTD, Michael!

    With commenters including Michael, Mrs. Q, and many others commenting regularIy, I am more comfortable than ever with NOT adding my own comments here – or, commenting much less often. I wonder how many non-commenting followers of Jack’s blog think much like I do – that being: “There’s no better point I could make, no better way of making it, and no better way of covering whatever identical point I might have also been pondering, than what I am reading in [X’s] comment.” I have caught myself thinking that so often lately, it has given me “writer’s block.”

    Well, I hope Jack and the blog commentariat won’t mind my continuing to occasionally inject my “noise,” or whatever (typically) inferior quality of commenting I might be compelled to pile-on (which is usually what I do) amidst the other, higher-quality comments. But for now…I am feeling compelled to just take a Spring Break. Please keep it up, Michael West!

  2. This Alamo story is especially asinine when one looks into the history of slavery in Texas:

    In 1823, Mexico forbade the sale or purchase of slaves,…

    In 1829 Mexico abolished slavery, but it granted an exception until 1830 to Texas. That year Mexico made the importation of slaves illegal. Anglo-American immigration to the province slowed at this point, with settlers angry about the changing rules. …

    [Following the Texas revolution in 1835] The Section 9 of the General Provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Texas, ratified in 1836, made slavery legal again in Texas and defined the status of slaves and people of color in the Republic of Texas.

    Slave population in Texas
    Year Population
    1825 443
    1836 5,000
    1840 11,323
    1850 58,161
    1860 182,566
    1865 250,000

    The activists here are usurping the story of the Alamo to use to embarrass President Trump. They are calling them heroes for resisting “nativists” in Mexico. Yet, when the times change, they will quickly condemn the Alamo defenders for perpetuating slavery and white supremacy.

    The comparison to the US Civil War is quite apt, really. Slavery plays a huge role, but the issues are far more complex. Using the Alamo as an example of patriotism, while condemning as racist anyone who opposes removing historic Confederate monuments, reveals himself to be hypocrite.

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