I hate the term ‘Motte-and-bailey’. Not because the fallacy itself is bad, but because you are essentially indirectly accusing your interlocutor of switching definitions on purpose. In my experience this is almost always an accident, but even if it wasn’t, you still shouldn’t immediately brand your interlocutor as malicious. I propose we use the term ‘defiswitchion’ (combining ‘definition’ and ‘switch’) since it is actually descriptive and easier to understand for people who hear it for the first time and you are not indirectly accusing your interlocutor of using dirty debate tactics.
I think you’re pointing to something that is a fully general problem with reasoning biases and logical fallacies: if people know about it, they might take you pointing out that they’re doing it as an attack on them rather than noticing they may be inadvertently making a mistake.
Getting it pointed out to you that you used an invalid argument still stings, but doesn’t sour a debate nearly as much as your interlocutor accusing you of active sabotage.
We cannot make the process painless, but we can soften the blow. I think not comparing someone’s argument to a sneaky military maneuver might be a good start.
I’ll stick with motte-and-bailey (though actually, I use “bait-and-switch” more often). In my experience, most of the time it’s useful to point out to someone, it _is_ intentional, or at least negligent. Very often this is my response to someone repeating a third-party argument point, and the best thing to do is to be very explicit that it’s not valid.
I’ll argue that the accusation is inherent in the thing. Introducing the term “defiswitchion”, requires that you explain it, and it _still_ is accusing your correspondent of sloppy or motivated unclarity.
Defiswitchion just describes what happend without implying ill will, Motte and bailey was an actual military strategy meaning you frame the debate as a battle with them acting aggressively. Bait-and-switch is arguably even worse in implying mal-intent. Getting it pointed out to you that you used an invalid argument still stings, but doesn’t sour a debate nearly as much as your interlocutor accusing you of active sabotage. Most people don’t even know what ad hominem means let alone being able to construct complicated rhetorical techniques. But that doesn’t matter because you should always extend the principle of charity to someone anyway.
Continuing my streak of hating on terms this community loves.
I hate the term ‘Motte-and-bailey’. Not because the fallacy itself is bad, but because you are essentially indirectly accusing your interlocutor of switching definitions on purpose. In my experience this is almost always an accident, but even if it wasn’t, you still shouldn’t immediately brand your interlocutor as malicious. I propose we use the term ‘defiswitchion’ (combining ‘definition’ and ‘switch’) since it is actually descriptive and easier to understand for people who hear it for the first time and you are not indirectly accusing your interlocutor of using dirty debate tactics.
I think you’re pointing to something that is a fully general problem with reasoning biases and logical fallacies: if people know about it, they might take you pointing out that they’re doing it as an attack on them rather than noticing they may be inadvertently making a mistake.
To quote myself from the other comment:
We cannot make the process painless, but we can soften the blow. I think not comparing someone’s argument to a sneaky military maneuver might be a good start.
I’ll stick with motte-and-bailey (though actually, I use “bait-and-switch” more often). In my experience, most of the time it’s useful to point out to someone, it _is_ intentional, or at least negligent. Very often this is my response to someone repeating a third-party argument point, and the best thing to do is to be very explicit that it’s not valid.
I’ll argue that the accusation is inherent in the thing. Introducing the term “defiswitchion”, requires that you explain it, and it _still_ is accusing your correspondent of sloppy or motivated unclarity.
Defiswitchion just describes what happend without implying ill will, Motte and bailey was an actual military strategy meaning you frame the debate as a battle with them acting aggressively. Bait-and-switch is arguably even worse in implying mal-intent. Getting it pointed out to you that you used an invalid argument still stings, but doesn’t sour a debate nearly as much as your interlocutor accusing you of active sabotage. Most people don’t even know what ad hominem means let alone being able to construct complicated rhetorical techniques. But that doesn’t matter because you should always extend the principle of charity to someone anyway.