reductio ad absurdum


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Related to reductio ad absurdum: Logical fallacies

re·duc·ti·o ad ab·sur·dum

 (rĭ-dŭk′tē-ō ăd əb-sûr′dəm, -zûr′-, -shē-ō)
n. pl. re·duc·ti·o·nes ad absurdum (-ō′nēz, -nās)
Disproof of a proposition by showing that it leads to absurd or untenable conclusions.
[Medieval Latin reductiō ad absurdum : Latin reductiō, a bringing back, reduction + Latin ad, to + Latin absurdum, absurdity, from neuter of absurdus, absurd.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

reductio ad absurdum

(rɪˈdʌktɪəʊ æd æbˈsɜːdəm)
n
1. (Logic) a method of disproving a proposition by showing that its inevitable consequences would be absurd
2. (Logic) a method of indirectly proving a proposition by assuming its negation to be true and showing that this leads to an absurdity
3. application of a principle or proposed principle to an instance in which it is absurd
[Latin, literally: reduction to the absurd]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

re•duc•ti•o ad ab•sur•dum

(rɪˈdʌk tiˌoʊ ˈæd æbˈsɜr dəm, -ˈzɜr-, -ʃiˌoʊ)
n.
a reduction to an absurdity; the refutation of a proposition by demonstrating that its logical conclusion is absurd.
[1735–45; < Latin]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

reductio ad absurdum

A Latin phrase meaning reduction to absurdity, used to mean carrying an argument to the point at which it becomes absurd.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.reductio ad absurdum - (reduction to the absurd) a disproof by showing that the consequences of the proposition are absurd; or a proof of a proposition by showing that its negation leads to a contradiction
reductio
disproof, falsification, refutation - any evidence that helps to establish the falsity of something
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
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References in classic literature ?
But as these arguments are largely a reductio ad absurdum of other theories, among which that which I am advocating is not included, I cannot regard them as establishing their contention.
View in context
That view is not only jaundiced and politically astigmatic but it's also a reductio ad absurdum and patently ad hominem.
Edo Assembly Crisis Is Shameful, Needless Scandalum Magnatum -Hon.Obahiagbon
He added that what Zarif said in the interview is called by logicians as reductio ad absurdum.
Foreign Ministry: Zarif's Stance on Missile Program Clear
As I see it, the Kushner, Greenblatt, Friedman team may have found a way to create the reductio ad absurdum of Kissinger's maxim by creating the illusion of a deal to compensate for the absence of a deal.C[macron]
Playing 20 questions on 'deal of the century'
The difficulty with a reductio ad absurdum comes when people no longer find it absurdum.
Anti-Catholic bigotry is alive and on display in U.S. Senate
Just with a pinch of reductio ad absurdum, we see how falsely the whole binary narrative has been constructed.
Neither DDS nor 'dilaw'
The fact that people are being prosecuted for using cannabis, while alcohol remains a staple commodity, is surely the reductio ad absurdum of any notion that our drug laws are designed to keep people from harming themselves or others.
Alcohol more dangerous than the use of cannabis; Get in touch - tell us what you think Email: letters@birminghammail.co.uk Twitter: @birminghammail Facebook: facebook.com/birminghammail Post: Birmingham Mail, 60 Church Street, Birmingham B3 2DJ
"For Peterson to feign ignorance of the fake will being found in the very safe she stood in front of a couple of days before when no will was found in it, and then claim to no knowledge of the scheme, is reductio ad absurdum," Taylor wrote.
Not So Fast
The reductio ad absurdum of this treatment-just-for-you approach is our current societywide lust for precision medicine.
Isotretinoin and shea butter
Sarcastic reductio ad absurdum aside, the question should be asked how it is that responsible European community leaders, people with a tradition that has in the past built and maintained productive civilizations in the face of attackers and foes, could seriously entertain the thought that signs, bracelets, and appeals to humanity will deter a masculine society in advanced stages of the march for world domination.
Israel Urged to Follow Austria's Example
There are many others but (thanks to Alanna Vagianos of the Huffington Post) we were alerted that the not being ashamed mantra may have reached reductio ad absurdum status.
Remembering the "artist" who performed the story of her abortion: "I think she was a she"
Riccioli, like Tycho Brahe before him, argued therefore that if Copernicus was right, then the observed stars' diameters must exceed the diameter of Earth's solar orbit--and in some cases those of Jupiter and Saturn--an observational and mathematical inference that entails a reductio ad absurdum. Ironically, as Graney points out, a number of pious Copernicans simply countered that God is so powerful he could make stars just as big as he wanted to.
Setting Aside All Authority: Giovanni Battista Riccioli and the Science Against Copernicus in the Age of Galileo

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