Inverse stopped clock

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(they want to. read their charter.)
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*[[Ted Gunderson]], a well-known former FBI agent, and died claiming to be a [[whistleblower]] for every conspiracy theory under the sun.
 
*[[Ted Gunderson]], a well-known former FBI agent, and died claiming to be a [[whistleblower]] for every conspiracy theory under the sun.
 
*[[The Young Turks|Cenk Uygur]] being an [[Armenian Genocide denial|Armenian Genocide denier]] and anti-[[GMO]].
 
*[[The Young Turks|Cenk Uygur]] being an [[Armenian Genocide denial|Armenian Genocide denier]] and anti-[[GMO]].
*David Pakman being wishy-washy on [[Gamergate]], believing [[Iran]] is making nukes despite the [[Mossad]] saying otherwise, saying [[Hamas]] wanted to wipe [[Israel]] off the map (when they did no such thing), and exaggerating the usage of human shields by Hamas as a way to insist on a false equivalence between Israel and Palestine.
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*David Pakman being wishy-washy on [[Gamergate]], believing [[Iran]] is making nukes despite the [[Mossad]] saying otherwise and exaggerating the usage of human shields by Hamas as a way to insist on a false equivalence between Israel and Palestine.
 
*John Bain, otherwise known as Total Biscuit, normally a fierce critic of the gaming industry and a consistent advocate for the consumer, seemed to support [[Gamergate]] via naively believing it actually was for gaming journalism.  
 
*John Bain, otherwise known as Total Biscuit, normally a fierce critic of the gaming industry and a consistent advocate for the consumer, seemed to support [[Gamergate]] via naively believing it actually was for gaming journalism.  
 
*William Wilberforce, played a major role in [[Britain|Britain's]] abolitionist movement... and was an avid supporter of its [[colonialism|colonization]] of [[India]], while also believing the poor shouldn't be able to vote.
 
*William Wilberforce, played a major role in [[Britain|Britain's]] abolitionist movement... and was an avid supporter of its [[colonialism|colonization]] of [[India]], while also believing the poor shouldn't be able to vote.

Revision as of 04:49, 30 March 2015

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Logic and rhetoric

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An inverse stopped clock refers to a situation in which someone who is usually logical, rational, or correct does or believes something idiotic or crazy. Also referred to as "Sometimes even geniuses make mistakes," or the common phrase "Nobody's perfect."

Contents

Explanation

Due to the imperfect nature of human beings, even reasonable people — including people widely respected for being reasonable — will make a mistake every now and then, often by chance alone. Perhaps something cranky (e.g. a conspiracy theory) appeals to someone's ideology and they go with it, even if they're usually correct on other subjects. Other times they may panic and do something stupid in response to a sometimes exaggerated threat or situation. The difference between these people and other cranks is that they are usually not crazy, but every time an inverse stopped clock situation takes place their reputation becomes slightly more soiled. (The degree of stupidity also makes a difference, and if the moment is crazy enough they may never be able to live it down, with everything they say being up for question after the incident.)

The most dangerous part of the inversed stopped clock is that the crankery supported may be given much more weight than if it was supported by a known nutjob, due to the usually decent/sane reputation of the person promoting it. The opposite could also happen, and the person's one crank belief will become, again, mainly what they are known for, leaving the rest of their work marginalized by association. An example of the latter is Peter Duesberg and his HIV denialism.

Examples

See also

Footnotes

  1. The Myth of Consistent Skepticism: The Cautionary Case of Albert Einstein
  2. Hans Sluga: Heidegger's Crisis: Philosophy and Politics in Nazi Germany, p. 99ff. Sluga's source was an article by Eckart Menzler-Trott: "Ich wünsch die Wahrheit und nichts als die Wahrheit: Das politische Testament des deutschen Mathematikers und Logikers Gottlob Frege". In: Forum, vol. 36, no. 432, 20 December 1989, pp. 68–79.
  3. http://www.evolutionnews.org/2011/06/john_lennon_darwin_doubter048051.html
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