re: #426 Mark Winter

Stratagem XVIII (Schopenhauer, The Art of Controversy)

If you observe that your opponent has taken up a line of argument which will end in your defeat, you must not allow him to carry it to its conclusion, but interrupt the course of the dispute in time, or break it off altogether, or lead him away from the subject, and bring him to others. In short, you must effect the trick which will be noticed later on, the mutatio controversiae.

You cited CFCs as an example of something where bold action was a good idea. Heck, banning Thalidomide was a good idea. No one is arguing that bold action is wrong in general.

Yes, the efficacy of the CFC ban is debated but I am not an expert on this and I don’t think it’s relevant. I cited the mistaken ban on DDT as an example where bold action can be premature.

I don’t think we have a dispute here. Bold action can be a good idea and it can be a bad idea.

Right?