False equivalency: A misleading comparison where the comparison targets are forcibly balanced while ignoring relevant differences. For example, claiming that banning guns also requires banning cars. Both cause harm to human life, but guns are designed for lethality and are closely linked to crime, whereas automobiles are meant for transportation and sometimes cause fatalities in traffic accidents as side effects. Comparing these two as if they are the same constitutes a false equivalency. Similarly, saying that apples and oranges are the same because they are both fruits and round is also a false equivalency. We are easily misled by such false comparisons. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
Adam Smith , the author of The Wealth of Nations , believed that “ empathy is an intellectual activity that takes into account circumstances, motives, luck, social status , and human character of the person.” The moment we blame another person’s actions, we examine the appropriateness of those actions. Adequacy is a state of neither excess nor understatement. If everyone else thinks a person is bad but I advocate for that person by saying, “I can understand,” then I approve of their actions. This situation is called “ mutual sympathy .” In our lives, we can be egocentric in some cases and relation-centric in others. The more mutual sympathy exists, the more relationship-oriented our thinking becomes. Both too much and too little can lead to tiredness or dissatisfaction. Pursuing happiness means finding this adequacy . - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”