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The pastor and propeller hats

On a podcast called “Masks and the Limits of Edicts,” published on July 15, pastor Douglas Wilson compared Moscow mayor’s order for residents to wear masks in public to an imaginary edict in which an autocratic government inanely requires everyone to wear “propeller hats.”

Not only does Wilson not have a clue about virology, but he also commits the illogical blunder of the false analogy. For someone who created an institution that teaches its young people the art of rhetorical thinking, logic and Western classics, one would think that Wilson would at least know what the fallacy of a false analogy is, or at least when to avoid one.

By comparing a propeller hat edict to a mask-wearing edict, he rests his whole case on a false analogy, that is, comparing two entirely unlike things, thus invalidating his argument. For one thing, propeller hats don’t protect people from viruses — masks do. Edicts for propeller hats don’t ensure the public safety — face covering edicts do. Requiring propeller hats is not a reasonable thing to ask — requiring masks is.

Wilson adds that masks don’t protect people from viruses. One would have to be so inane to make that statement it’s almost impossible to reason with them. Additionally, Wilson does not seem to know about asymptomatic spreaders, those who have the virus but exhibit no symptoms — such spreaders can have more potent viral loads than the symptomatic.

Normally, I would say it’s OK for Wilson & Co. to live with their absurdities, but in this case Wilson’s statements are actually endangering others’ lives in Moscow. But you can’t argue with myopic minds. Despite claiming to be so logically astute, Wilson cannot see the fallacy of a false analogy when it comes out of his own mouth, just like the virus particles.

Andrew Johnson
Pullman

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