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From: mrh@cybvax0.UUCP (Mike Huybensz)
Newsgroups: net.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Hogs and Dogs
Message-ID: <630@cybvax0.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 22-Jul-85 15:03:41 EDT
Article-I.D.: cybvax0.630
Posted: Mon Jul 22 15:03:41 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 24-Jul-85 07:41:41 EDT
References: <209@ihlpl.UUCP> <988@cbsck.UUCP>
Reply-To: mrh@cybvax0.UUCP (Mike Huybensz)
Organization: Cybermation, Inc., Cambridge, MA
Lines: 31

In article <988@cbsck.UUCP> pmd@cbsck.UUCP (Paul Dubuc) writes:
> Another example might be not to waste your time reasoning with someone
> whose clear purpose is to twist your words and misrepresent what you say.
> (Maybe that's why Jesus would never talk to the media :-) ).  In your dealings
> with people, you just get to know which ones are sincerely interested in what
> you think and those who just want to drag you through the mud no matter what
> you say.  There are enough of the former type people around to make it
> senseless to waste time on the latter.  Of course, as important as it is
> not to "cast pearls before swine", it is just as important (if not, more so)
> not to be the swine yourself.

That's close to my interpretation.

I view "pearls before swine" as a heuristic that can have many applications.
Primarily, it is cautions against inefficient methods of spreading and
maintaining beliefs.

The commonest two applications are against skeptics.  First because the
time spent trying to convince a skeptic may more profitably be spent
convincing the gullable.  Second, because a skeptic may dissuade you from
your belief.  The implicit ad-hominem attack is very valuable in the latter
case, where shaken belief needs to be shored up by anything, no matter how
fallacious.

Use of this phrase is often pretty good evidence of "swinehood", in my
opinion.  It shows how little you value the other person, or how
unjustifiably dogmatic you are.  That's why I continue to argue, even
with the people in net.religion.christian.
-- 

Mike Huybensz		...decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!cybvax0!mrh