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Author Topic:   Nutballs who will believe anything
crashfrog
Member (Idle past 1467 days)
Posts: 19762
From: Silver Spring, MD
Joined: 03-20-2003


Message 26 of 33 (200858)
04-21-2005 2:17 AM
Reply to: Message 24 by joshua221
04-20-2005 7:44 PM


What do you mean by "ad hoc"?
"Ad hoc" is Latin for "for this [purpose]" and it's used to describe modifications or additions to a proposed explanation, for which the only "evidence" or support offered for that addition is the failure of explanation to hold up without it.
For instance, I might explain gravity with an explanation about angels pushing down on people's shoulders, and when you ask "well, if that's true, how come we can't see the angels?" My response "because they're invisible" is an ad-hoc explanation because the only evidence that these angels are invisible is the fact that otherwise, my theory about angels can't explain why you can't see them.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 24 by joshua221, posted 04-20-2005 7:44 PM joshua221 has not replied

  
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