The worst argument.

[CapnAwesome]

I think the worst and sadly one of the most overused arguments ever are arguments from personal experience. Too often I'll be trying to make a point, either on these forums or in real life and someone will say "Well when I....(got pregnant, was sent to jail, was depressed, whatever.)

This is one of the worst arguments that can be made. You are trying to make a point about something that covers broad numbers of people by using an example of one. It's harsh to say, but it really doesn't matter what your personal experience is. For all we know it only applies to you and doesn't apply to anyone else.

What's even worse about that argument is that it immediately makes things personal and any statement that's made afterwards is dismissed as some sort of personal attack even though maybe my original point was probably made about people in general. Which is the second tactic of people using personal points, which is immediately to accuse the person of generalizing. Of course you are generalizing when talking about broad topics that apply to millions of people. Is it worse to generalize on a topic like abortion (someone once challenged the assertion that unprotected sex causes more pregnancy than protected sex because that's not how their pregnancy was caused.) or is it worse to use a case that may only apply to a single person and use it as an example for all of humanity? If a generalization doesn't apply to you, then it doesn't apply to you and there is no reason to be upset over it.

[John V]

I think the worst and sadly one of the most overused arguments ever are arguments from personal experience. Too often I'll be trying to make a point, either on these forums or in real life and someone will say "Well when I....(got pregnant, was sent to jail, was depressed, whatever.)

Interestingly, your second sentence is about your personal experience with arguments from personal experience.

Whatever excuse(s) you make for this, maybe you should give others the same benefit of the doubt.

[Minimalist]

That's called the xtian brainfart argument, Capn.

It's as worthless as all their other shit.

[CapnAwesome]

I think the worst and sadly one of the most overused arguments ever are arguments from personal experience. Too often I'll be trying to make a point, either on these forums or in real life and someone will say "Well when I....(got pregnant, was sent to jail, was depressed, whatever.)

Interestingly, your second sentence is about your personal experience with arguments from personal experience.

Whatever excuse(s) you make for this, maybe you should give others the same benefit of the doubt.

There is nothing wrong with talking about your personal experience per se, but to use it as though it negates data about large groups of people is what I'm talking about. I think you are just trying (and failing as usual) to be clever.

[Jacob(smooth)]

Oh I don't know, seems pretty clever to me .

As you say, personal experience does not trump logic or data. But as you've just demonstrated, it's impossible to remove it from the equation altogether.

In my experience that is

[Napoléon]

But as you've just demonstrated, it's impossible to remove it from the equation altogether.

I don't think he suggested that you could, rather he's simply saying how utterly pointless an argument from personal experience is. That Captain has had experience dealing with people who use this argument is entirely irrelevant to whether it is a good argument or not. The point he is making does not rely on his personal experience, unlike the people who use personal experience as the crux of their own arguments. So no, what beta male said was not 'clever'. It completely missed the point, and I rather think you did too.