Heidegger wrote "Technology is … no mere means. Technology is a way of
revealing. If we give heed to this, then another whole realm for the essence of
technology will open itself up to us. It is the realm of revealing, i.e., of
truth." (Heidegger, 1977). Technology! The very significance of this phenomenon is now clear to Kenyans,
who pinned their political hopes on it. Information
technology was the foundation on which the 2017 elections were planned, and so much has emerged since
August 8th! Apart from being at the core of this year’s electoral
process, technology has also been vital to the campaigns of politicians and
their supporters. Social media has been the preferred technological tool. A
large portion of Kenyan Trends on Twitter have
been on politics. Facebook has also been
rife with politically charged debates. One thing has been revealed by these trends, we
desperately need to make philosophy a core part of our curriculum to counter fallacies and bigotry.
No political move by any
politician has failed to be shared on
social media among followers and foes.
However, the analysis that goes on social media is often not objective. One
thing that is abundantly clear is that a majority of Kenyans cannot make fair
arguments. In a previous article, I described how politicians relied on logical
fallacies in their campaigns1. I have now observed that their supporters also
rely on fallacies to show their loyalty.
The one often used by political minions is the ad hominem fallacy. Instead of attacking arguments of their
opponents, debaters in politics have been going at each other’s characters.
When the full Supreme
Court ruling was being read, Kenyans were
quick to go on Social media to share their thoughts. However, very few made objective efforts to analyze the rulings. What most did was comment positively on Judges
who made an agreeable decision, and
negatively on Judges with a different opinion. One Judge was “ad hominemed
” to the point where people brought up
the employment history of his wife. Others were keen to point out how the DCJ
is not “fluent” enough to be in the office she currently holds. When
politicians took over this ad hominem
business, we witnessed the filing of a number of petitions to remove this or
that Judge of questionable character. That was a while back. A few days ago,
the Economist published an article on Raila Odinga2. However, instead of
deconstructing the arguments presented therein, Raila’s supporters were focused
on showing how the Economist is evil and foreign. Sauti Sol, a favorite boy band in the country, aired their
political views the other day, and the feedback was disappointing. Instead of
being engaged in constructive criticism of their political perspective, their
dress-code and sexual orientation were brought to the forefront and used as a
reason why their political opinion doesn’t count. Their music also became trash
to all those who did not agree with them. Very disheartening.
The reliance on logical
fallacies makes it challenging to engage
in fruitful political debates, especially on the internet. Fallacies nurture
bigotry because they stand in the way of sensible
thinking. Fallacious individuals fail to make a genuine effort to understand
the arguments of others, thus, making objective analysis impossible. The ad hominem is particularly dangerous
because it gives those who frequently use it the notion that something is wrong
with anyone who does not hold the same views as them. Consequently, they shun
the responsibility of self-criticism and open-mindedness
required in any debate.
How can we eliminate or
decrease fallaciousness in our society? By teaching basic philosophy in our
schools. We don’t have to get into the differences and similarities of various
philosophical schools. No. We can start by teaching students about logical
fallacies, as well as how to analyze and
make valid arguments. Doing this would arm our citizens with the necessary
skills to coolly participate in political debates that will move the country forward.
References
Heidegger, M. (1977). The Question
Concerning Technology. Garland Science.
