Can you coin a word? Claiming that a particular allegation is false...

[Boojatta]

not because you have any reason to believe that it's false, but simply because it would be very inconvenient if it were true.

Is there a word for that? "Lying" doesn't seem quite right. For example, if you were at a roulette game and you bet $50 on black and I said "Red might win" and you say "No it won't", then it wouldn't seem quite right to say that you're lying.

I propose that we use the word "floating", but I would like to hear other suggestions. Ideally, you would coin a new word and thereby avoid ambiguity. "Floating" already has at least one meaning.

[BlooInBloo]

1. Um, that would be lying. You have to look somewhat carefully at exactly what you said...

to see it, however.

[ZombieHorde]

'Floating' works very well since it conjures images of turds floating in a toilet.

If bull shit is a lie, then a floater could be a fun word to use in your roulette situation.

I really want to post a picture, but I looked in the 'rules', and found this; "Do not post messages about bodily functions." I am guessing that the sort of picture I have in mind would break that rule.

[LiberalHeart]

24. Why not just call it "turding"?

[ZombieHorde]

28. Because people would confuse it with the sex act.

Also known as steam shovel.

[BlooInBloo]

2. Bah. You changed the wording on me. Hrmph.

[Boojatta]

4. I improved the wording in response to your helpful observation.

What's the "bah" for?
:toast:

[BlooInBloo]

5. The Hawks ain't doin so well - I'm grumpy.

[pl259]

3. Denial is the common descriptive.

-)

[Earth_First]

6. My favorite river. n/t

[ThomWV]

18. clever of the language to accommodate this particular thought, isn't it?

And there for a moment I feared the language was lacking.

[Boojatta]

20. Someone can deny a request.

Denial does not necessarily imply characterizing an allegation as false.

Someone can deny that the statement "1+1=3" is true. Denial does not necessarily imply lacking good reasons.

[pl259]

25. Well, it would most assuredly be inconvenient if 1+1 actually did = 3, but

it doesn't. Denial involves uh, denying...that a -truth- is untrue. :D

[ashling]

7. 'Now you talk like a reasonable child,'

'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone,' it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less.'

'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many different things.'

'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master - that's all.'
Alice was too much puzzled to say anything; so after a minute Humpty Dumpty began again. 'They've a temper, some of them - particularly verbs: they're the proudest - adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs - however, I can manage the whole lot of them! Impenetrability! That's what I say!'

'Would you tell me, please,' said Alice, 'what that means?'

'Now you talk like a reasonable child,' said Humpty Dumpty, looking very much pleased. 'I meant by "impenetrability" that we've had enough of that subject, and it would be just as well if you'd mention what you mean to do next, as I suppose you don't mean to stop here all the rest of your life.'

'That's a great deal to make one word mean,' Alice said in a thoughtful tone.

'When I make a word do a lot of work like that,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'I always pay it extra.'

'Oh!' said Alice. She was too much puzzled to make any other remark.

'Ah, you should see 'em come round me of a Saturday night,' Humpty Dumpty went on, wagging his head gravely from side to side, 'for to get their wages, you know.'

(Alice didn't venture to ask what he paid them with; so you see I can't tell you.)

[MineralMan]

8. Sure you can coin a word. When were you planning to do so?

"Floating" is already taken.

So is "boojum." I looked it up. Too bad.

I was planning to coin it to describe DU posts which make no sense whatsoever. The proper usage would be:

"That's a lot of boojum!"

Or

"Don't try to feed me your boojum."

But the word's taken already, so I'll have to think of another...

Best of luck in your attempt to coin a word.

[Boojatta]

22. "Floating" is already taken.

Yes, in numerical representation, there's the concept "floating point." What do you think of this combination of words: "floating denial"?

[uppityperson]

9. wishful thinking? And yes, you can coin a word.

[Boojatta]

23. I would have asked "Can I coin a word" if I were asking about myself.

Pronouns can be fun.

[Seldona]

10. Cognitive Dissonance.

Could use Dissonance for short.

[NashVegas]

13. With a Hint of Self-Delusion

[Seldona]

15. No argument here.

Self-delusion is their main party platform imo.

[madamesilverspurs]

Good to see some movement

toward okayness in common conversation. We've been bushtipated for far too long.




Howzat?

[madamesilverspurs]

11. Good to see some movement

toward okayness in common conversation. We've been bushtipated for far too long.




Howzat?

[depakid]

12. Seems like chicanery covers it...

[Boojatta]

21. No, there is a wide variety of different kinds of chicanery.

[NashVegas]

14. It's Called "Willful Ignorance"

And there's a thread somewhere with it in the title.

[Igel]

16. Umm ...

I don't find the post to be very coherent, in a Halliday and Hasan sense.

"Red might win" is a statement about probabilities. "No it won't" is a prediction about the future. I wouldn't call either an allegation (unless there's an issue about the probabilities). Even then, if there's a dispute about the relative probabilities, ultimately it's the person asserting probabilities that gets to defend his position first. After he's made what appears to be a valid argument, one that holds water, then the nay-sayers get to weigh in and undermine the argument and position, or even prove that the position is false. We're talking probabilities, and in math proving a negative isn't always so bad.

As for non-mathematical allegations that are false or simply not proven true (or very likely), there's no reason to believe that they're true. You've posed the question backwards, I think. If there's an allegation, it doesn't matter if I have a reason to believe it's false; what matters is whether I have sufficient and necessary reasons to believe it's true. If I don't, I tend to assume it's false, or (at best) simply irrelevant. We don't put the burden of proof on people to disprove every allegation, or be forced to accept it--whether it's convenient or inconvenient.

That said, I may want to believe allegations I want to believe are true, and entertain the possibility that they're true, even in the absence of evidence. I may assign some sort of homegrown relative probabilities to the truth or falsity of the allegation. But unless I'm too tired, drunk, or have my faculties otherwise occluded I keep in mind that an allegation is merely an allegation, and has no truth value whatsoever, pending evidence. Then, I critically evaluate the evidence (when I have a sufficient factual basis to do so), when I have time and patience, and decide if the evidence actually supports the allegation; then I decide if the evidence entails the allegation (for much evidence can support the allegation without actually requiring that the allegation be true--alternative explanations need to be considered, as well as the possibility that there's likely to be evidence undermining the argument).

"Contradicting" seems to come to mind. "Controverting", as well. "Denying" is a strong possibility, along with, inevitably, at times, "refuting" or at the least, "repudiating". And let's not overlook "nay-saying". See dear ol' Roget for more. ;-)

[Boojatta]

19. "If there's an allegation,

it doesn't matter if I have a reason to believe it's false; what matters is whether I have sufficient and necessary reasons to believe it's true. If I don't, I tend to assume it's false, or (at best) simply irrelevant."

Suppose I start a thread in the science forum with the title "Goldbach's Conjecture." The body of the thread consists of exactly four words: "That conjecture is true." Now, surely in that thread, the question of whether or not Goldbach's conjecture is true isn't an irrelevant question. On the other hand, given that the conjecture hasn't been resolved, why would you tend to assume that it's false?

[BuyingThyme]

17. Asscrabbing.

[JVS]

26. blustering

[Boojatta]

27. Kick

[Boojatta]

29. Kick