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Description: |
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The arguer defends a position simply by refusing to
acknowledge the force of the arguments supporting the opposing view. |
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Comments: |
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Some phrases characteristic of this fallacy may include, "I
refuse to listen..." "I don't care what they say..." etc. |
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Examples: |
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"Capital punishment is just wrong, no matter what you
say." |
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"I accept on faith that the earth is flat. The evidence for a round
earth must have been faked." |
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Discussion: |
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This is a fallacy of circularity because it assumes what is
in question, namely the truth of the position being defended. In general, one should defend ones own beliefs. Consistency
is a better policy than being too gullible and indecisive. Moreover, since
people who have thought a position through tend to be fairly loyal to their
conclusions, a person who holds to a position can sometimes appear to be
more rational and thoughtful than someone who is too easily swayed by every
argument he hears. The fallacy of Invincible Ignorance mimics the
consistency that comes from having a well-thought-out position. However it
asks us to overlook the distinction between rational consistency and sheer
stubbornness. |
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Classification: A deductive Fallacy of
Circularity. |
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Source: I first became aware of this
fallacy from W. Ward Fearnside and William B. Holther, Fallacy: the
Counterfeit of Argument (1959). The term "invincible ignorance"
has its roots in Catholic theology, where it is used to refer to the state
of persons (such as pagans and infants) who are ignorant of the Christian message
because they have not yet had an opportunity to hear it. The earliest
use of the term seems to have been by Pope Pius IX in Quanto Conficiamur
(1677), although discussion of the concept can be found as far back as
Origen. When and how the term was stolen by logicians to refer to the state
of persons who pigheadedly refuse to attend to evidence remains unclear.
[I'd like to thank email correspondent Robert Weil, who benefited from an
undergraduate class from a Jesuit philosophy instructor, for bringing the
origins of this term to my attention.] |
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