In
rhetorical analysis, to pooh-pooh an
argument
An argument is a series of sentences, statements, or propositions some of which are called premises and one is the conclusion. The purpose of an argument is to give reasons for one's conclusion via justification, explanation, and/or persu ...
is to dismiss it as being unworthy of serious consideration. It is a
fallacy in informal logic.
Scholars generally characterize the fallacy as a rhetorical device in which the speaker ridicules an argument without responding to the substance of the argument.
It has been characterized as a form of a
straw man
A straw man fallacy (sometimes written as strawman) is the informal fallacy of refuting an argument different from the one actually under discussion, while not recognizing or acknowledging the distinction. One who engages in this fallacy is said ...
fallacy
A fallacy is the use of invalid or otherwise faulty reasoning in the construction of an argument that may appear to be well-reasoned if unnoticed. The term was introduced in the Western intellectual tradition by the Aristotelian '' De Sophisti ...
, where an argument is described as inherently worthless or undeserving of serious attention.
Some authors have also described the fallacy as the act of "ridicul
ng an argument as though it were "a myth", and some characterize it as the act of dismissing an argument "with insults without responding to its substance in any way".
Other authors describe the fallacy as the act of dismissing an argument "with the wave of a hand".
Some sources also suggest the fallacy is an expression that involves "sneer
ng,
"ridicule",
or "malicious comments about the proponent of the argument".
Some authors also suggest the term originated as a "representation of the act of spitting in sign of contemptuous rejection".
There is no evidence of a relationship with the slang word for
feces
Feces (also known as faeces American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, or fæces; : faex) are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the ...
.
See also
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Hasty generalization
A faulty generalization is an informal fallacy wherein a conclusion is drawn about all or many instances of a phenomenon on the basis of one or a few instances of that phenomenon. It is similar to a proof by example in mathematics. It is an examp ...
*
Appeal to ridicule
Appeal to ridicule (also called appeal to mockery, ''ad absurdo'', or the horse laugh) is an informal fallacy which presents an opponent's argument as absurd, ridiculous, or humorous, and therefore not worthy of serious consideration.
Descript ...
*
List of fallacies
A fallacy is the use of invalid or otherwise faulty reasoning in the construction of an argument. All forms of human communication can contain fallacies.
Because of their variety, fallacies are challenging to classify. They can be classified by ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pooh-pooh
Relevance fallacies