These are stock phrases, slogans, or responses (often apocryphal) that end or divert inquiry rather than answer the questions posed. When you raise a concern, ask for evidence, or point out a problem, they respond with clichés that sound profound but actually provide no information and discourage further questions. These phrases work by triggering emotional…
Applying different standards to yourself/your side versus others is a double standard (one of the most-used moves in the catalog of deceptive tactics). If a behaviors is acceptable when your side does it but outrageous when opponents do it you are a hypocrite. Double standards reveal the conclusion came first, then standards were reverse-engineered to…
Advancing a controversial, bold claim (the bailey, the desired but indefensible position), then retreating to a modest, defensible claim (the motte, the safe position for those who the dog whistle isn’t aimed at) when challenged, before quietly returning to the bold claim once criticism passes. This tactic, named by philosopher Nicholas Shackel after medieval castle…
Accusations structured so that denial or defense is treated as evidence of guilt. The more you protest innocence, the more guilty you appear. Named after Franz Kafka's "The Trial," where the protagonist is accused of unnamed crimes and his confusion about the charges is treated as proof of guilt. Kafkatraps create a logical and social…
When a word has multiple meanings and you switch between those meanings mid-argument to make a conclusion seem to follow the premise that is false equivocation. Similar to redefinition but exploiting words that already have multiple established meanings. Examples: "Evolution is just a theory": This exploits two meanings of "theory." In some, less educated, colloquial…
This list will be updated and links added on an ongoing basis. It’s provided here as a reference.
The goal of this article is to help you recognize these behaviours or patterns, provide some thoughts on distinguishing whether they are malicious or helpful and tell you how to defuse/respond to them