Rational brain · Logic, Epistemics & Argument
Poisoning the Well
Discrediting a source before it speaks — 'the auditors have an agenda', 'competitors will tell you…' — so that whatever it says arrives pre-dismissed.
An everyday example
A CEO warning the board that the incoming consultant 'always finds problems to justify the fee', a week before the report.
What it can cost you
Discounting accurate warnings; being pre-inoculated against evidence you needed.
Warning signs
- I was told what to think of them before I met them.
- The critique arrived pre-dismissed.
One thing to do
When someone attacks a source you have not heard yet, hear the source first and judge the attack after.
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