Appeal to ridicule - Your Art History Reference Guide!

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Appeal to ridicule

Appeal to ridicule is a logical fallacy which presents the opponent's argument in a way that appears ridiculous and mocking it.

Examples

  1. If Einstein is right that would mean that when I drive my car it gets shorter and heavier. That's crazy!
  2. You can't have a cat called Fido. Calling a cat Fido would just be silly!

This should be contrasted with reductio ad absurdum which is a valid logical argument form. Ridiculing the person making the argument is specifically an ad hominem attack.

Last updated: 10-16-2005 03:29:45
Last updated: 01-04-2007 01:18:57
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