Theos-Talk Archives (November 2006 Message tt00515)

Carl,

Thanks for your comments and observations about the United Lodge of 
Theosophists at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theos-talk/message/37218

In this and in a few future postings, I'm going to make some comments
on what you have written and also show some examples of
how one could divert attention from the substance of what
you say by employing "ad hominem" remarks.

First of all, a question:

You state:

========================================================
1. Based on by own historical researching, I founded that the
official ULT/TC-history was in several parts not true.
========================================================

Could you please give a few brief concrete examples illustrating this 
point?

Now I will give an example of how I could try to divert attention from
what you actually are stating about the ULT to attention about
YOU.

If I was like one of the posters on this board, I could point out
that you yourself admit that in 2003 you decided to leave the 
ULT.

Now since some of your comments seem quite "negative", I could suggest
that you are simply a disgruntled ex-member.  And that many of your
statements simply reflect your emotional "dislike" for the ULT, etc., 
etc.  In other words, you are no longer an objective observer, but
are a person who has an ax to grind, etc., etc.

I'm sure I could probably find some ULT associate who knows you and 
who may not have a favorable opinion of you.  I could then bring up 
some unfavorable remarks he has about you and go from there....etc. 
etc.

The end result is that the focus is taken away from the issue of the 
factuality of your statements about ULT and focussed on you, your 
motivations, etc. etc.

This is a rhetorical ploy that is often used to discount what some 
person is saying.

I have even heard some Leadbeater students use this same "ploy" to 
discount Gregory Tillett's book on Leadbeater.  Tillett is a mere
"scholar", he is just an intellectual who doesn't have any intuition. 
Tillett is an "outsider" who isn't privy to the real facts.  etc. etc.

By such a ploy, attention is diverted away from the subject matter 
that should be discussed:  in this case, various biographical and 
historical statements about Leadbeater.  Instead the attention is 
diverted to discussing Tillett.

Daniel
http://hpb.cc