bulverism means A rhetorical fallacy in which a speaker assumes that their opponent's argument is wrong, and instead of disproving it, condescendingly explains why their opponent would have come to that conclusion. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 92 out of 100.
Why “bulverism” is a great word
BULVERISM — [Noun] The rhetorical fallacy of dismissing an opponent's argument by assuming it is wrong and condescendingly explaining the psychological or biographical reasons they would hold it, rather than addressing its substance. Coined in 1941 by the British writer and scholar C. S. Lewis, from the invented name 'Bulver', a character in a parable Lewis used to illustrate the fallacy. Unlike a blunt *ad hominem* (which attacks the person to discredit them) or the broader *genetic fallacy* (which rejects an idea based solely on its origin), bulverism is the smug, diagnostic act of explaining away the belief itself. It is the weary sigh that precedes “you only say that because you’re young,” the knowing glance that implies “your trauma clouds your judgment,” or the academic dismissal masked as concern—a shortcut that protects the bulverist from the harder work of thought, leaving every conversation a shallow analysis of motive instead of a meeting of minds.
noun
- A rhetorical fallacy in which a speaker assumes that their opponent's argument is wrong, and instead of disproving it, condescendingly explains why their opponent would have come to that conclusion.“[Y]ou must show that a man is wrong before you start explaining why he is wrong. The modern method is to assume without discussion that he is wrong and then distract his attention from this (the only real issue) by busily explaining how he became so silly. In the course of the last fifteen years I have found this vice so common that I have had to invent a name for it. I call it Bulverism. Some day”