Reductio ad absurdum

Reductio ad absurdum (Latin: "reduction to the absurd") is a form of argument in which a proposition is disproven by following its implications to a logical but absurd consequence.

An example of a reductio ad absurdum would be to note the consequences of an ad coelum theory of property would be that a land owner would have ownership over other planets.

Example

Attempts at making a reductio ad absurdum argument can easily create a straw man fallacy if it distorts the proposition which one is trying to disprove. The example above can very easily lead to a straw man fallacy in that it states that:

• a person cannot own land because no one person has the right to own a planet if other people require the land.

The fallacy, thus, lies in the difference between the ability to own land and the right to own land, which are not equivalent.

See also

• Proof by contradiction
• Devil's advocate