Pseudo-Profundity

1.6 PSEUDO-PROFUNDITY

This fallacy is found when a statement appears to be insightful and profound, but in reality it is unclear and incoherent. We hear supposedly wise and weighty proclamations quite regularly from New Age gurus, televangelists, and college professors. But many of these statements, on closer inspection, are so vague that they might as well be meaningless. For example:

1. Guru: Reality does not exist; we exist on the shore of a collective nightmare.

2. Professor: My philosophy is that the ALL becomes the ONE which is identical to the Self and to the Cosmos through which knowledge is attained.

At first glance these statements appear intellectually deep. However, they lack clarity and specificity. Furthermore, each can be interpreted in a variety of ways. This can lead to multiple contradictory views, which in turn cause confusion.

The philosopher Martin Heidegger was often accused of committing the fallacy of pseudo-profundity. For example, philosopher Paul Edwards believes that Heidegger’s philosophy is a perfect example of pseudo-profundity; or as Edwards puts it, “hideous gibberish.” [1] Consider these excerpts of Heidegger’s work:

3. Is Being a mere word and its meaning a vapor, or does what is designated by the word ‘Being’ hold within it the historical destiny of the West? [2]

4. We are ourselves the entities to be analyzed. The Being of any such entity is in each case mine. These entities, in their Being, comport themselves towards their Being. As entities with such Being, they are delivered over to their own Being. Being is that which is an issue for every such entity. [3]

These statements from Heidegger may be insightful or profoundly meaningful, but there is no way of knowing without further information from his writings. In any case, we must make it our goal to speak with clarity and coherence rather than vagueness and imprecision. Furthermore, we must listen critically to the statements of others, looking for clearness before assuming their words are profound or true—even when the speaker is an authority figure.