...and there is no global warming, and the Holocaust was a hoax, and you really COULD trust Dick Nixon, and the check IS in the mail....

I repeat, this is what is MEANT by the philosophical principle.. "From false premises, anything follows"

This is not just a dry, obscure bit of logic....it is a very serious explanation of some of the most egregious errors of human history. When used by a couple of silly members of Congress, it provides us a few laughs...when used by malevolent wielders of power, it leads to horrors.