Common fallacy
“Why should these unpracticed, unproved,
unrepresentative, self-chosen groups of Indian politicians disdain the immense
possibilities offered within the limits of the Statutory Commission's report,
and demand an immediate setting up of a United States of India, with themselves
in control, and the British army at their orders?”
Just by reading this
question it’s already more than obvious that more than two issues are merged
into one. Churchill starts off with criticizing the groups of Indian
politicians, and then he mentions the Statutory Commission’s report, followed
by the setting up of a United States of India, and holy god he finally gets to
his final issue about British Army orders! Is it just me or did he just throw
in an entire essay in one question? This fallacy is very common, and by using a
type of vocal diarrhea in this sentence Churchill is losing his point. What is
he finally going to talk about? Which is more important? He does a big NO NO
and therefore his proof is disconnected from his conclusion.
When he is referring to
the politicians as unproved and unpracticed he is immediately implying that
they will disdain the report no matter what happens. Churchill is pretty sneaky
in this question because he wants to trick the respondent into admitting that
these Indian politicians are absurd.
Straw man
“While any community, social or religious, endorses
such practices and asserts itself resolved to keep sixty millions of fellow
countrymen perpetually and eternally in a state of sub-human bondage, we cannot
recognize their claim to the title-deeds of democracy.”
Awwwww was it to hard?
What I think happened was that Churchill realized that if he was going to start
talking about how communities live in a responsive environment, he may be faced
with controversy from the audience. Instead, he looks towards an easier exit in
this case the deeds of democracy and uses it to start a new topic. He was
pretty smart in doing so because one thing is talking politically about
democracy (something I’m sure he’s good at) and another thing is arguing about
people relations and their role in society.
Slippery Slope
“If at the sacrifice of every British interest and
of all the necessary safeguards and means of preserving peace and progress in
India, you come to terms with Gandhi, Gandhi would at that self-same moment
cease to count any more in the Indian situation.”
Well that escalated
quickly! Churchill just took the sacrifice of British interests and all of a
sudden he’s talking about Gandhi stepping out of the whole situation. I would
say that’s a little extreme don’t you? This once again disconnected his whole
purpose from his conclusion!
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