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Claims are constantly being made, many of which are confusing, ambiguous, too general to be of value, exaggerated, unfalsifiable, and suggest a dichotomy when no such dichotomy exists. Good critical thinking requires a thorough understanding of the claim before attempting to determine its veracity. Good communication requires the ability to make clear, precise, explicit claims, or “strong” claims. The rules of reason in this book provide the framework for obtaining this understanding and ability.
This book / online course is about the the eleven rules of reason for making and evaluating claims. Each covered in detail in the book.
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I'm not sure I completely understand your question, but I've been doing some research on the various "definnist" fallacies, so I'll give you my two cents worth of advice. First, words' definitions change over time. They can also have multiple definitions at any given time. Using a definition that isn't familiar to other people is a common strategy in politics. It's very deceptive, though it isn't always technically a fallacy. The fallacy arises when people insist that a particular definition is the correct one, when there may be alternative definitions that are just as good. For example, the etymological fallacy is in play when someone says a word's original meaning is the correct one, if I'm not mistaken. I call it the "historic definition fallacy." A propagandist can also focus on current definitions, insisting that one of them is the correct definition. I call this a simple "appeal to definition," though some may use other terms. Another very deceptive practice is to make up your own definition, a practice sometimes called "redefinition." The best example lies in the realm of conspiracy. There's an army of propagandists who are making up the most bizarre and insulting definitions for the terms "conspiracy" and "conspiracy theory." If you take a close look at them, many are illogical. Creating your own definition isn't necessarily bad as long as a person is transparent. If you let readers know that a particular word already has six popular definitions, and you just coined a seventh definition that you think works better in some particular situation, that might not be a problem. However, it sounds like you're talking about something different. It sounds like there is a Greek word that simply has multiple definitions that are creating some confusion. If people aren't using these words in arguments in a deceptive manner, then it wouldn't have anything to do with fallacy. |
answered on Saturday, May 01, 2021 06:22:29 AM by David Blomstrom | |
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