The Is Trap
The dangers of the “is of identity.”
John is a man.
Mike is a man.
Therefore, Mike is John.
A Ferrari is a car
My VW is a car
Therefore, My VW is a Ferrari. (Don’t I wish.)
These statements qualify as logically consistent; however, to most people, they do not make much sense. They suffer from the flaw of the “is of identity.”
People tend to use variations of the verb “to be” with abandon. Using “is” relieves them of the responsibility of providing evidence of the truth of their statements.
In many situations, the use of is is benign (see what I did there.) We say, “The sun is rising,” even though most of us know the earth rotates. We say “John is friendly” when we mean “John behaves in a friendly manner.” One person says, “That painting is beautiful.” while his friend next to him looks at the same painting and says to himself, “I think that painting is ugly.”
Many of the misunderstands and confusion caused by the casual use of is causes little long-lasting harm. The friendship between the man and his friend can withstand their differences in artistic taste. But, many is statements can lead to flawed decisions about vital subjects and dangerous misunderstandings by people who trust the source.
At the risk of being accused of being a “climate change denier,” I would point out the many people who state that the “planet is warming” and “humans are causing it.” We cannot test the accuracy of these related statements unless we define how we measure the temperature of the planet or how humans contribute to “global warming.” We must answer these “how” questions before we can design a solution.
In the study of free markets, about which I write, most economists get caught in the “is trap.”
They make statements like “unemployment is 4.555%,” or “the economy is in a recession,” or “the stock market is rising”…you get the idea. Should you consider yourself 4.555% unemployed if you don’t have a job? If you have a job and the prices of the stocks in your small stock portfolio continue to rise, do you consider that a recession?
People become particularly subject to logical errors when goods with the same name have different definitions based on use. I frequently hear “gold is money” or “dollars are money.”
Do you use your gold fillings as money? Can you use gold or dollars held as reserves to back your dollar-denominated claims as money? (Hint: No.)
These distinctions will become important when I make future comments about money and banking.
Conclusion
Take care whenever you hear someone making a definitive about anything.
Do you need to know how, why, or when? Do you need more information to substantiate the statement?
Don’t fall into “the is trap.”
Well said words!