The Modern Is-Ought Fallacy

If you encounter/read a lot of (most likely pointless) arguments online or in real life, you may have noticed a certain fallacy that (at least for me) seems to come up frequently.

Here’s an example:

Person 1: It’s great for the world that Twitter is full of people insulting each other — it toughens everyone up.

Person 2: Don’t you think it would be better if people were nicer on the Internet? Can’t the world use a bit more kindness?

Person 1: I mean, what can I say? The Internet is a toxic place.

What Person 1 last said is not necessarily false. In the world this conversation takes place, it is totally possible that the Internet is a toxic place. What makes it a deceptive conversation tactic is the fact that it appears to address Person 2’s question (of Person 1’s original stance).

Whenever I hear statements similar to the final comment above, I consider them expressions of criticism or apathy towards the current state of the world. For example, “I mean, what can I say? The Internet is a toxic place.” comes off as “I don’t like it, but the Internet is a toxic place.” But we know Person 1 actually does support the current state of the world from his first statement: “It’s great for the world that people on Twitter insult each other all the time.”