Fallacies
 Preparing the Ground 
  • Loaded Language
  • Straw Man
  • Burden of Proof

    •  On the Defensive 
  • Baffling with Science
  • Poisoning the Well

    •  Persuasive Techniques 
  • Appeal to Popularity
  • Black or White
  • Flattery

    •  Desperate Moves 
  • Guilt by Association
  • Passive Agressive
  • Red Herring
    		•       

    Poisoning the Well

    In arguments, there's always a danger that your opponent knows what they're talking about. They might even have evidence up their sleeve to prove it.

    Being confronted with hard facts can throw a novice arguer off their stride. A more seasoned debater, however, will not be put out.

    If you are unfortunate enough to encounter someone ready to cite evidence in support of their claims, then your best strategy is to "poison the well". This is a good all-purpose strategy because it involves completely ignoring the details of the evidence, and instead discrediting the source. It can therefore be applied to any evidence whatsoever.

    The bluntest way to poison the well is to simply hurl abuse at the source. If your opponent has cited claims from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Small, Cute, and Fluffy Animals, then you can simply remark that everyone knows that the RSPCSCFA is rife with corruption and can't be trusted to tell you the time of day accurately.

    Effective though the strategy of hurling abuse can be, it does lack subtlety. For this reason, it is often preferable to poison the well by hinting at some hidden agenda that might bias the source. Most sources can be accused of trying to ingratiate themselves to someone or cosy up to someone else, casting doubt on the reliability of whatever evidence they have given.