Difference between revisions of "Appeal to worse problems"
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
(about; smw) |
(tweaks) |
||
| Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
An [[appeal to worse problems]] is any argument to the effect that effort spent trying to solve the problem currently under discussion is a waste because there are worse problems within the same general category which need to be solved more urgently. | An [[appeal to worse problems]] is any argument to the effect that effort spent trying to solve the problem currently under discussion is a waste because there are worse problems within the same general category which need to be solved more urgently. | ||
| − | It is a common [[trolling]] technique, as it both enrages other participants (by belittling their concerns) and derails the discussion. It was also once [[Dear Muslima|famously (and illegitimately) used]] by [[Richard Dawkins]] in an attempt to derail criticisms of | + | It is a common [[trolling]] technique, as it both enrages other participants (by belittling their concerns) and derails the discussion. It was also once [[Dear Muslima|famously (and illegitimately) used]] by [[Richard Dawkins]] in an attempt to [[discussion derailment|derail]] criticisms of [[sexism]] within the atheist/skeptical community. |
==Links== | ==Links== | ||
===Reference=== | ===Reference=== | ||
* {{wikipedia|Fallacy of relative privation}} | * {{wikipedia|Fallacy of relative privation}} | ||
* {{rationalwiki|Not as bad as}} | * {{rationalwiki|Not as bad as}} | ||
Revision as of 19:47, 14 September 2014
|
This page is a seed article. You can help Issuepedia water it: make a request to expand a given page and/or donate to help give us more writing-hours!
|
About
An appeal to worse problems is any argument to the effect that effort spent trying to solve the problem currently under discussion is a waste because there are worse problems within the same general category which need to be solved more urgently.
It is a common trolling technique, as it both enrages other participants (by belittling their concerns) and derails the discussion. It was also once famously (and illegitimately) used by Richard Dawkins in an attempt to derail criticisms of sexism within the atheist/skeptical community.