Appeal to the Stone
Updated 2026-08-02
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
Appeal to the stone, from the Latin argumentum ad lapidem, is the fallacy of rejecting a proposition by declaring it absurd rather than by demonstrating an error in it. The name comes from Samuel Johnson's response to Berkeley's immaterialism, in which he kicked a stone and claimed to refute the view. The fallacy substitutes contempt or ridicule for reasoning. Key qualification: a claim can be false, and calling it absurd is only fallacious when no argument accompanies the dismissal.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Ask for the error: request the specific step or premise the critic believes is wrong. - Name the gap: point out that ridicule is not an argument and restate the claim. - Return to testable ground: move the discussion to evidence rather than to tone.
Anchor fast decisions
Ridicule is socially effective because it signals confidence and makes continued argument feel unnecessary. Because it provides no target for rebuttal, the person holding the claim cannot respond to the substance and the exchange ends without resolution. The tactic therefore works through social pressure rather than through demonstration of error.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- zh.wikipedia.orghttps://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%A8%B4%E8%AB%B8%E9%A0%91%E5%9B%BAverified
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