SSC
Proving Too Much
Scott Alexander explores the 'Proving Too Much' fallacy as an efficient tactic to quickly dismantle complex arguments, particularly those using Dark Arts techniques.
5 min read 742 words
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debate tactics
Essays tagged “debate tactics”. Follow an idea across the archive.
Essays on debate tactics
5 essaysLW
The noncentral fallacy - the worst argument in the world?
Scott proposes the "noncentral fallacy" as a candidate for the worst argument in the world: applying emotional reactions from archetypal category members to non-archetypal examples, illustrated through examples like calling Martin Luther King Jr. a "criminal."
15 min read 2,283 words
LW
When Truth Isn't Enough
Scott distinguishes between a statement's denotation (factual content) and connotation (emotional implications), showing how technically true statements can mislead through subtext, and proposes ADBOC as a response technique.
7 min read 1,034 words
LW
The Power of Positivist Thinking
Scott defends a 'soft positivism' in which meaningful statements can be reduced to testable claims, and argues that statements that resist such reduction, like 'Islam is a religion of peace', often smuggle in emotion and prejudice.
18 min read 2,712 words
LW
How to Not Lose an Argument
Scott argues that to persuade people rather than just demolish them, you should leave them a social line of retreat by being genuinely nice and not treating the discussion as a status contest.
13 min read 1,961 words