Refraction (Bent Thinking) of the Day #26

Poisoning The Wells:  Attempting to completely destroy someone’s credibility so that whatever they say will not be believed. Refutation: An argument stands or falls based on its internal structure and the truth value of it claims..  Example:  Adam: Betty, I can’t believe a word that Dudley says concerning contraceptive use or anything else. He’s from Crete, and all Cretans are liars. Side Note: The reputation of the person bringing the argument is not relevant to the argument itself, only to whether or not someone will listen to it. A liar and a cheat can still do sound math and can still present sound arguments. You simply have to be very careful to separate the person from the argument.