Debunking Ben Shapiro’s Transgender Denialism
Every time experts who spend their lives becoming familiar with the complexity of “big ideas” discover a bit of nuance which drastically alters our preconceived notions, the most eloquent opponents of progress and innovation do their best to explain why we should not, in fact, upgrade our beliefs to match the evidence. One of those warriors against change is Ben Shapiro, whose arguments I have tackled in the past.
For those that don’t know him, Ben Shapiro is a professional debater, championing his interpretation of Libertarianism by criticizing “liberal” positions as he sees them. He’s very good at what he does, but the thing about debate is that it is the art of persuasion, it is not the art of truth. You don’t get accolades as a debater by admitting ignorance or presenting ideas in all their complexity. You win debates by making your argument seem simple and straightforward — as obvious as saying water is wet.
Ben’s tactics include asking “gotcha” questions to nervous, less skilled debaters, and making admittedly hilarious rejoinders to their unschooled responses. Weaving in loaded, emotional language, he props up straw-men in place of his opponents actual positions, essentially satirizing his opponents positions to make them appear ludicrous rather than treating them with the same intellectual honesty he expects from those he disagrees…
