Where in our life, in what organizations and institutions do sophistry often apply? Who uses sophistry and why?

One Answer

1. Sophistry is the main tool for the following categories of people::

   • Government representatives
   • Public officials
   • Non-professional journalists
   • Propagandists
   • Illiterate bloggers
   • Sofa Experts

   Application goals:

   • substitution of concepts. For example:”We need to expand the base of democracy in the country, so that people directly feel connected with the authorities… so that confidence in the authorities increases…“. Sophism replaces the concept of “democracy”, putting in it a different meaning than the generally accepted one.
   • conceal the truth. For example:”If the brains are leaking, then they are there. It means good brains, high quality. Otherwise, they wouldn't be leaking.” Behind the sophistry lies the fact that educated smart people are not in demand in their country.
   • distort the real essence of things. For example:”One and the same person may not hold the office of President of the Russian Federation for more than two consecutive terms.” This is not sophistry. Sophism is the interpretation of this phrase, as an opportunity to hold a position many times, if you do it not in a row.
   • hide a simple thought behind a screen of deliberately complex inflections. For example:”A working group will be created to determine the vector of development of the industry.” A sophism whose meaning is very simple: “we'll think about what to do.” And it sounds like a lot of active steps will be taken.
   • reach the audience's location. For example: “stable development” is a sophism that is aimed at both conservative audiences who want stability and those who need development.

   Log in to Reply