Argument by definition

Definition

Argument by definition (also known as persuasive definition) is an argument in which one or more terms are defined in such a way as to effectively be an argument for the speaker's position.

It is a logical fallacy due to the fact that its intent is to deceive the listener into agreeing with an unstated argument by presenting a similar (but more persuasive) argument as being identical – a sort of bait-and-switch tactic.

Related

• definitional argument: an argument which seems to be about one thing (whether something is of a certain type) but which is actually about something else (whether a set of rules should be applied to something because of precedent)

Reference

• Wikipedia: persuasive definition