Deception
Chapter 5

Suggestive or Misleading Questions

Previous: Chapter 4, Implication Rules

Recall that one question for the one-way rule

When Aunt Jane visits her nephew Tom's home, Tom goes out to play.

asked what could be said for certain about Aunt Jane when Tom goes out to play? The answer is nothing. But the wording in this question hinted or suggested that a little bit more could be said for certain about Aunt Jane. The question was slightly misleading. A less misleading question would be what, if anything, can be said for certain. You have to be aware of misleading questions. The topic of suggestive and misleading questions is discussed next. 

Are you trusting? Are you willing to politely accept everything I or someone else says or suggests without question? The phrase what can you say for sure in the above question makes you expect something could be said for sure, not nothing. You have to watch for misleading and suggestive questions in and outside of this book.

When someone tries to convince you with a suggestive chain of reasoning, you need to recognize the weak and strong links in that chain. Then you can decide for yourself whether or not to accept the suggestions or conclusions obtained. Faulty logic may hide some deliberate deception or some reparable chains of reason. In particular, you may see where the chain fails and is broken, or where the chain can be strengthened or repaired. In our thoughts, we need to identify or keep track of what is certain, what is almost sure, what is guessed, what is probable, and what is only suggested.

The next example is far-fetched in most worldly locations, but it illustrates a situation that you need to recognize. Suppose I asked how long have you been beating your elephant? This question suggests you own a mistreated elephant. A gullible, too trusting, person overhearing this question could believe (assume) you own an elephant. A gullible person overhearing the question could believe this unless you say the question is absurd because you don't own an elephant.

We all are slightly gullible. It is a matter of politeness not to challenge a speaker. On hearing a question, we like (or tend) to think each question posed is correct, honest and not misleading. But we need to continually watch for questions that are not realistic, especially if the speaker does allow us to challenge them. Their words may force upon us unchallenged assumptions or suggestions. Suggestive questions need to be recognized – if not stopped. They need to be challenged and corrected to prevent the reasoning from continuing in an absurd or deceptive direction.

A series of suggestive questions is intimidating and forceful. When the suggestions in them remain unchallenged, you may find yourself at the end of a long chain of suggestive reasoning, agreeing to or not challenging some repugnant ideas. So watch for misleading questions. The questions and possibly the speaker are false. Step by step, or question by question, such false reasoning needs to be exposed. The exposure could start with the very first question, and then the next, and the next, and so on.

When a speaker, in posing and answering suggestive questions, leads you to false or repugnant conclusions, such a speaker has lied and mislead you. Your intelligence has been deliberately or accidentally insulted. The speaker, a possible villain, has taken advantage of your politeness or silence. Faulty reason or lies may be hidden in suggestive questions.

Next: Chapter 5, Continued :Hype & Ethics

www.whyslopes.com
Volume 1A, Pattern Based Reason

 Chapters 1 to 24

FOREWORD
Three Remarks
1 Introduction
2 Communication
3. Elements of Reason
4 Implication Rules
5. Deception
6 Chains of Reason
7 Longer Chains
For & From Consistency
8. Language Change
9 Next Chapters
10 Responsibility
11 Accidental Patterns
12 Knowledge Islands
13 Euclidean Logic
14 Deductive & Empirical 
     Views of Mathematics
15 Objectivity
16 Origin of Rules
and Patterns
17 Objective Ways
18. Waking up
19. Symbols  & Logic
20. Pronouns or Symbols
21. Truth Tables I.
22. Truth Tables II
22. Biconditional
22. Contrapositive
23. IF-THEN table
24. Indirect Reason Again

To reason often means to persuade someone of the need for an idea or action. That someone could be yourself. So be careful.

1A Logic Postscripts
- online only

+Proof by Absurdity alias proof by contradiction
+How the demand for consistency supports the law of the excluded middle
+Reality versus or with the aid of Imagination
+Links for reason, logic and crtical thinking
+Three Remarks
+History Lost or Missing

There is a difference between
knowing how to spend money,
and having money to spend.

There is likewise a difference
between mastering a skill
and having meeting a situation in which it applies.

 .

[Page Top] [ Back ] [ Area Intro ] [ Next ] 
If you find an error, please cut and paste its  web page location (URL) into an Email

Wordy Site Tour:  Not too Bad ,  Vol 2. Foreword,  1A Foreword,  2  Logic Puzzles,  
What is a Variable  Calculus Starter Guide  Vol 1 Foreword,    
 
Favourite Sites:  The World Clock - Time Zones Around the World  
 BBC News  and mathematics portion of  English National Curriculum  

All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective owners.
Copyright to comments & contributions are owned by the Poster. 
The Rest © 1995 onward by site author,   Alan Selby
All Rights Reserved.