Fake explanation

From Issuepedia
Revision as of 23:51, 27 May 2008 by Woozle (talk | contribs) (→‎Overview: What makes it go? Energy!)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Overview

A fake explanation is anything which sounds like an explanation, or is offered as an explanation, but which does not offer any further understanding even if it might be true.

This is a growing seedling article. You can help Issuepedia by watering it.

"Because God did it" is one example commonly used in religion-based arguments. The question-and-answer pair "What makes it go? Energy!", found in an elementary school science textbook, was derided by the late Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman as being utterly useless as an explanation.

Probably most often in the form of a non sequitur, but I don't have time to check into this at the moment. -W.

Links