Sunday, June 01, 2008

Poisoning the well

Something I remember from my English class, half a lifetime ago.
http://www.philosophicalsociety.com/Logical%20Fallacies.htm#poisoning%20the%20wells
http://www.newmanreader.org/works/apologia65/preface.html


In a nutshell, it refers to the act of discrediting an opponent during a debate.
"Before we start, let me tell you that my opponent is a liar"
This leads the listeners to have a bias against the other party, sometimes even before he has a chance to speak.

No comments:

Post a Comment