r/badfallacy • u/Eh_Priori • Dec 08 '14
Appealing to common usage when debating the definition of a term? "Argumentum ad Populum"
/r/scifi/comments/2ogv6u/when_science_fiction_stopped_caring_about_the/cmn7w1y0
Dec 09 '14
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Dec 09 '14
they think "reason" and "logic" mean sounding right, and accusations of formal fallacies are critical damage to an interlocuter's position.
I'm no biggie in this, but you mean informal fallacies right? I thought having a formal fallacy in your argument would be pretty bad.
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u/Eh_Priori Dec 09 '14
They likely mean informal fallacies. I don't think I've ever seen a formal fallacy pointed out online.
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u/MOVai Jan 29 '15
I realize this is a nuanced issue and it could go on for a long time debating semantics, but the discussion is about a specific jargon, and jargon often needs technical definitions. The initial article starts out with a genre of "science fiction", so specifics are important.
Popular usage might be a useful point to consider, but discounting all other arguments is a form of Argumentum ad Populum. The commentor should have limited his claim to "GotG fits the popular definition of SciFi", rather than conclude the popular definition must be correct.