Poisoning the well (or attempting to poison the well) is a type of

informal fallacy Informal fallacies are a type of incorrect argument in natural language. The source of the error is not just due to the ''form'' of the argument, as is the case for formal fallacies, but can also be due to their ''content'' and ''context''. Falla ...

where adverse information about a target is preemptively presented to an

audience An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature (in which they are called "readers"), theatre, music (in which they are called "listeners"), video games (in which they are called "players"), or ...

, with the intention of discrediting or ridiculing something that the target person is about to say. Poisoning the well can be a special case of ''

argumentum ad hominem ''Ad hominem'' (), short for ''argumentum ad hominem'' (), refers to several types of arguments, most of which are fallacious. Typically, this term refers to a rhetorical strategy where the speaker attacks the character, motive, or some other ...

'', and the term was first used with this sense by

John Henry Newman John Henry Newman (21 February 1801 – 11 August 1890) was an English theologian, academic, intellectual, philosopher, polymath, historian, writer, scholar and poet, first as an Anglican ministry, Anglican priest and later as a Catholi ...

in his work ''

Apologia Pro Vita Sua ''Apologia Pro Vita Sua'' (Latin: ''A defence of one's own life'') is John Henry Newman's defence of his religious opinions, published in 1864 in response to Charles Kingsley of the Church of England after Newman quit his position as the Anglican ...

'' (1864). See also: The etymology of the phrase lies in well poisoning, an ancient wartime practice of pouring poison into sources of

fresh water Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

before an invading army, to diminish the invading army's strength.

Structure

Poisoning the well can take the form of an (explicit or implied) argument, and is considered by some philosophers an

. A poisoned-well "argument" has the following form: :1. Unfavorable information (be it true or false) about person A is presented by another. (e.g. "Before you listen to my opponent, may I remind you that he has been in jail") :2. Therefore, the claims made by person A will be false. Poisoned-well arguments are sometimes used with preemptive invocations of the association fallacy. In this pattern, an unfavorable attribute is ascribed to any future opponents, in an attempt to discourage debate. (For example, "That's my stance on funding the public education system, and anyone who disagrees with me hates children.") Any person who steps forward to dispute the claim will then risk applying the tag to themselves in the process. This is a

false dilemma A false dilemma, also referred to as false dichotomy or false binary, is an informal fallacy based on a premise that erroneously limits what options are available. The source of the fallacy lies not in an invalid form of inference but in a false ...

: not all future opponents necessarily have the unfavorable attribute. (For example, not everyone who has a different opinion on funding the public education system necessarily hates children.) A poisoned-well "argument" can also be in this form: :1. Unfavorable definitions (be it true or false) which prevent disagreement (or enforce affirmative position) :2. Any claims without first agreeing with above definitions are automatically dismissed. Example: Boss, you heard my side of the story why I think Bill should be fired and not me. Now, I am sure Bill is going to come to you with some pathetic attempt to weasel out of this lie that he has created.

References

{{Fallacies English phrases Genetic fallacies Informal fallacies Deception