Critical Thinking
Podcast | Intermediate Resource
-
What is a dictum?
The expression 'Everybody knows that X is true' — that is an assertion that allows another statement to follow.
“Everyone knows that Australia has an obsession with 'big' objects (the banana, the big pineapple, big merino for example). Well, that's why we are introducing the big Dingo!”
Those statements are dictums - things that we hold to be true - similar to idioms, just with more authority. For these reasons, they are closer to 'laws' in their real definition.
In practice for philosophy and logic, they end up being core logical ideas.
Examples of Dictums— What goes up, must come down
— Last hired - first fired
— Don't get mad, get even.
What is a razor?
A philosophical razor exists to try and cut or 'shave off' unlikely reasoning in order to focus a discussion further. It can be used to cut down the amount of assumptions that are challenged in a scenario. We actually use this a lot to discount unlikely alternatives.
Razors are useful in debating because they remind us to focus - particularly in prep. They are also just good rules of thumb for discussion.
One of the most famous razors is Occam's razor: ‘The most simple explanation is most likely to be correct’.
Examples of RazorsHanlons razor: 'Never attribute to malice what could easily be attributed to stupidity'.
'Sagan's Standard' (from Carl Sagan): ‘Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence’.
Conclusion
Keep them in mind for a bit of fun. Useful in debating and public speaking.