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On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 8:55 AM, Paul Merrell <marbux@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 5:51 AM, Coroutines <coroutines@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I forget what type of argument it's called when one speculates to the
>> imaginable worst of a proposal to justify not changing anything,
>
> reductio ad absurdum. <http://www.iep.utm.edu/reductio/>.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Paul

That's actually the opposite -- reductio ad absurdum is a technique
used to SUPPORT an argument, by showing that the alternative leads to
a contradiction/absurdity, using the standard rules of logic. Slippery
slope is somewhat less formal and is used to cast doubts on an
argument by showing an extreme interpretation of the premise or an
extreme application of the premise's support.

/s/ Adam