Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

As a lawyer, I made a living making arguments (to judges and juries). As a philosopher, I make a living evaluating arguments. To persuade someone to believe a proposition, you must construct an argument all of whose premises your interlocutor accepts and which together entail the conclusion. Have you ever seen a New York Times op-ed columnist engage in this process, or even try to? The very idea is laughable.