(^72) How to Win Every Argument
(If you can fit going to the pub in between being used as a punchbag
by the universe, lines like this should be good for the odd sympa-
thetic pint.)
Extensional pruning
We are guilty of extensional pruning if we use words in their
commonly accepted meaning, but retreat when challenged into
a strictly literal definition. The fallacy becomes possible because
there are two ways of understanding what words mean. We can
describe the properties of what we refer to, or we can give
examples. The first is called the 'intension', and the second is the
'extension' of the word. We could convey the sense of an
expression such as 'movie star', for example, either by describing
the role of lead actors and actresses in films, or by listing several
well-known stars.
Words carry nuances of meaning by their associations. Little
tendrils of thought ripple around them, evoking all kinds of ideas
dependent on past associations. These nuances are part of the
meaning of the word, provided they are understood by user and
hearer alike. The fallacy of extensional pruning takes place when
the user subsequently retreats from that meaning by insisting
upon only a literal 'intentional' definition.
While I said I would accept an inquiry, I at no time said that it would be
independent, that it would be a public one, or that its findings would be
published.
(He might be correct in a limited, technical definition of the word.
But this is not what most people normally understand from the
associations they make with previous inquiries.)The fallacy is committed by saying one thing, but permitting
another to be understood. A contention must be the same to