False Arguments: The Transparent Proxy

[kafka]

Conte has begun a series of blogs presenting false types of arguments common in theology today. These false arguments are also rampant on Catholic forums. People here have used them including myself, so I thought it might be beneficial to post these. The most recent one is

the transparent proxy

"Another common false argument today, I call the ‘transparent proxy’ argument. A person argues a particular point of view based on the claim that he is merely presenting the views of someone else: a Saint, a Pope, a priest or theologian, or even the Church Herself. The person admits no role of his own, other than explaining the position of another, and he admits no possibility of interpretation or misunderstanding, in effect claiming to be a proxy for another. The person claims to be transparent, i.e. to have no effect on the meaning of what is being presented. This argument is false because no proof is presented that the person’s explanation is accurate. Often it is the case that the person has introduced substantial distortions or new ideas into the work of the other person."
http://ronconte.wordpress.com/2010/09/12/transparent-proxy/

One Saint Alone (solus unus sanctus)
http://ronconte.wordpress.com/2010/09/09/only-one-saint/

Pro hominem (for the man)
http://ronconte.wordpress.com/2010/08/17/false-arguments-pro-hominem/

Ipse dixit (he himself said it)
http://ronconte.wordpress.com/2010/08/17/false-arguments-pro-hominem/

[Nihil Obstat]

St. Irenaeus of Lyons [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woySeSNBL3o"]wrote at length[/url] about why Transparent Proxies do not exist.

[sixpence]

[quote name='Nihil Obstat' timestamp='[url="http://xisbn.worldcat.org:80/liblook/resolve.htm?res_id=http://www.iris.rutgers.edu&rft.isbn=1284421678&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:book"]1284421678[/url]' post='2172798']
St. Irenaeus of Lyons [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woySeSNBL3o"]wrote at length[/url] about why Transparent Proxies do not exist.
[/quote]