Argumentum ad nauseam
| Part of the series on |
| Key articles |
| General logic |
| Bad logic |
“”There is no proof or evidence that atheism is accurate and correct. There is no proof or evidence that atheism is accurate and correct. There is no proof or evidence that atheism is accurate and correct. There is no proof or evidence that atheism is accurate and correct. There is no proof or evidence that atheism is accurate and correct.
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| —A beautiful use of this argument by the |
Argumentum ad nauseam is the logical fallacy that something becomes true if it is repeated often enough. The overuse of an ad nauseam argument that can be easily shown to be false leads to the PRATT - the "point refuted a thousand times."
Due to the modern 24 hour cable news cycle and the fact every idiot now has a blog, argumentum ad nauseam has become particularly prevalent. In politics it is usually used in the form of a talking point, which is then reduced to a three second sound bite and is repeated at every available opportunity. On the blogosphere it takes the form of a meme, where every like minded blogger repeats a statement used by a fellow blogger. Twitter, where every message has to be less than 140 characters, has only made this latter form of viral propaganda worse.
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[edit] Examples
- "HeadOn, apply directly to forehead! HeadOn, apply directly to forehead! HeadOn, apply directly to forehead! HeadOn, apply directly to forehead! HeadOn, apply directly to forehead!"
- Evolution is just a theory.
- Life begins at conception.
- The creation-evolution debate is a debate about worldviews.
- Obamacare will install death panels and kill your grandmother.
- "Yes we can."
- The science of global warming is still unclear.
- The "Founding Fathers" intended for the USA to be a Christian nation.
- No blood for oil.
- There are no transitional fossils.
- 9/11 was an inside job.
- Anti-racist is a codeword for anti-white.
- Ron Paul
200820122016. - The New World Order is nearly upon us!
- Wake up!
- The Earth hasn't warmed since 1998.
- The Jews are to blame for Germany's problems!
- There is no pay gap!
- "Stop the boats"
- "No Carbon tax" / "Axe the tax"
- "Hope, reward, opportunity"
[edit] Parodies
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"Just the place for a Snark!" the Bellman cried, |
| —Lewis Carroll, The Hunting Of The Snark |