It’s Complicated: Grasping the Syllogism

A few weeks ago, I presented the following syllogism:

 

Issue X is complicated.

Perspective Y’s position on X is not complicated.

Therefore, Perspective Y is wrong about X.

 

Almost all of the comments were critical.  Some notable examples:

Dan:

As someone who used to live in San Francisco and was involved in YIMBY activism, this argument was used frustratingly often by NIMBYs: “The housing crisis is complicated and you can’t simplify it to econ 101, therefore just building more won’t help”. The...