Steelman
Poisoning the well
Also called pre-emptive ad hominem.
Discrediting someone in advance so that anything they say will be dismissed.
What it is
Presenting negative information about a person, or about anyone who might disagree, before they speak, so the audience rejects their arguments without hearing them fairly.
The pattern
Before B speaks: “Remember, B is [discrediting trait].” B’s argument is then dismissed.
An example
“Before my opponent speaks, remember that he’s a career politician who’ll say anything to get elected.”
Whatever he’s about to argue, the audience has been told to discount it before hearing it.
Why it fails
The audience is primed to reject the argument before hearing it, so the argument is never actually evaluated. It’s an ad hominem delivered in advance.
When it’s not a fallacy
Most lists skip this part. Calling a fair point a fallacy is a mistake too.
It can be fair when
- Disclosing a genuine, relevant conflict of interest so the audience can weigh testimony appropriately, provided the argument is still judged on its merits.
Try one
A question from the app. The wrong answers are its usual look-alikes.
Radio show. Co-host: “After the break we’ve got an economist from a living-wage think tank, with three studies on what a $20 minimum did to jobs.” Host: “Her group is funded by the unions pushing the bill, folks. When she starts quoting studies, ask yourself who paid for the conclusion. Stay with us.”
What’s the flaw?
The economist hasn’t spoken, and the studies she’ll cite were done by others. The host discredits all of it in advance, so listeners will dismiss it without weighing it.
A fair reply
“Let’s hear the three studies first, then check who ran them.”
Often confused with
- Circumstantial ad hominem
Circumstantial ad hominem attacks after the argument is made. Poisoning the well does it before.
- Loaded language
Loaded language colors how something is described. Poisoning the well targets the credibility of a future speaker.
Where the name comes from
Poison a well, and every bucket drawn from it is ruined before anyone takes a sip. The fallacy does that to a speaker: it spoils whatever they say before they say it. “Ad hominem” is Latin for “to the person”, and “pre-emptive” means striking first: an attack on the speaker before they’ve said a word.
The term was first used in this sense by John Henry Newman in his Apologia Pro Vita Sua (1864).
Sources
- Fallacies, Bradley Dowden, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- Poisoning the well, Wikipedia
In the app
Practice spotting it on arguments that sound real.
Steelman has more examples of poisoning the well, how to answer it in a real conversation, and practice rounds that mix it with its look-alikes, so you learn the difference, not just the name. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.
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