Two characters, Scythe Master and Claudia, are having a conversation in this book I’m translating. The first speaker is Scythe. (Bolded part is what I’m 87% sure is a rhetorical question, based on what comes before and after it’s said.) “Already arrangements to locate his immigration documents are underway, in addition to a method of … Read more
In the widely followed hearing on Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the United States Supreme Court, Senator Kamala Harris said to Kavanaugh’s accuser of sexual assault; You have called for an independent investigation Judge Kavanaugh has not. You have called for independent witnesses Judge Kavanaugh has not. You have submitted yourself to a polygraph test Judge … Read more
In school I learned that allusions are indirect references. Often my teachers would give examples in the form of references to well-known literary works. If I say “I can read the writing on the wall”, I’m making a reference to the hand of God writing a prophesy of doom at the feast of Belshazzar in … Read more
First, I’d like to know the technical term for this fallacy, and then I’d like at least one down-to-earth example that I can refer to in a section heading. Background: Down Syndrome tends to feature some cognitive impairment, but this can range from mild to moderate etc. etc. A nasty guy is arguing that Student’s … Read more
Let’s suppose my father was a good moral teacher to me. I say: “I learned my virtuous morals from my father.” This is a true statement, because he did teach me good morals. However the subsequent claim: “That is the reason why I am a moral person.” May sound suspicious. The statement may be only … Read more
I’m wondering what it is called when a non-transitive verb is used as a transitive verb. An example would be if someone took the dog outside so it could defecate, and said, I pooped the dog. I know the term anthimeria refers to using one part of a speech as another. Wikipedia says that anthimeria… … Read more
Is there a word for the process of applying heavenly-derived arguments to terrestrial issues? For example, “John Doe argues against abortion because his Catholic faith says it’s wrong. John’s argument is X-ical.” Where X is something like tautology. I feel the word “religious” doesn’t sufficiently convey the incongruity of using out-of-this-world logic to this world. … Read more
Finally, states should reduce or eliminate the least useful graduate programs. Journalism (now dubbed “communications”), business and education are prime candidates. Is “prime candidates” here used as a metaphor or a personification? Answer Personification is a form of metaphor, a comparison that does not claim an object or action is “like” another object or action, … Read more
In debates there’s a particular logical fallacy that goes something like: “Person A is bad. Person A thinks X is good. Therefore X is bad.” or alternatively: “Person A is good. Person A thinks X is good. Therefore X is good.” Essentially X is judged based on who likes/dislikes it, rather than on its own … Read more
What is it called when person A makes an argument, then person B picks on a minor error in A’s argument (such as a typo or misattribution of a quote) and uses this small error to argue that everything A says cannot be trusted and (by implication) must be false? The closest I’ve got is … Read more
