Types of definitions
- Reportive definitions aim to accurately capture the meaning of a term as it's ordinarily used.
- Precising definitions add relevant criteria to a reportive definition to make it more precise for a specific purpose.
- Stipulative definitions are used to establish a specific purpose. For example, "for the purpose of the present document, the term 'contract' means..."
- A persuasive definition is a stipulative definition that is dressed up as a reportive definition or as a claim in an argument. The terms are redefined to present one's preferred definitions as facts.
- Ostensive definitions are based on examples of the word that is being described. For example, "liquid" could be "things like water and oil."
- Misleading definitions relies on misleading language so that its intended meaning is different than the meaning that most people will use.
- Operational definitions are used to define certain measures where an exact, reproducible definition is needed, such as in scientific studies.
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An example of the appeal to definition
"We should ignore the theory of evolution because the dictionary says that a theory is just an opinion that you have about something you can't prove."
The person using this fallacy is basing their statement on a specific definition of the word "theory" while
The argument from dictionary
The argument from a dictionary is a logical fallacy and happens when someone's argument is based, in a problematic way, on the definition of a particular term as it appears in a dictionary. The problem with these arguments:
- Dictionaries are descriptive
The confusing nature of entropy
In big lines, entropy can be defined as a measure of disorder of a system. However, nobody can give more details about its nature, as there have been so many definitions of the term throughout the years. All these definitions vary according to the discipline the term is used for.
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