Is There A Logical Fallacy Here?
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Original Question
Often when you're in a debate you get a response such as this "there is nothing that can be done". Would this be an error in reasoning because there are no alternatives presented? Or is there a finite point that nothing can really be done? If there is a logical fallacy to this (or close to it) what would it be?
Answers
1This is merely an (unsupported) statement. There's no clear explicit/implied argument here.
If it is intended to simply discourage thought, then it becomes a thought-terminating cliché , which is not fallacious but problematic in other ways (avoiding critical thought).
It could also be an observation, made after several unsuccessful attempts at something. For instance, a doctor may tell a grief-stricken wife that "there is nothing that can be done" to save her terminally-ill husband.
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