I associate claims of ‘Devils Advocacy’ with a tendency to use whatever clever rhetorical gambits seem most effective. That is, I associate Advocacy, including ‘Devil’s advocacy’ with bullshit. This I hold in low esteem and more so because this kind of debating is highly respected in many contexts. If the impressiveness of arguments was more reliably correlated with quality of arguments this association would be weaker.
ETA: I can only assume that someone objects to the use of ‘bullshit’ as a descriptor as a distaste for the kind of advocacy I mention is not uncommon here. I tend to use the term to capture a rather precise philosophical concept that we don’t have a better word for. The term is ‘woo’ is the closest approximation.
FYI, not everyone who plays “Devil’s advocate” does so on a rhetorical basis. I don’t think a gut reaction of “bullshit” is appropriate to the term “Devil’s advocate.” Either that, or I have been using the term wrong.
When I use the term I mean, “For the sake of the conversation I will defend the position opposite yours.” If I defend it with rhetoric, I am not doing a very good job at playing Devil’s advocate.
I associate claims of ‘Devils Advocacy’ with a tendency to use whatever clever rhetorical gambits seem most effective. That is, I associate Advocacy, including ‘Devil’s advocacy’ with bullshit. This I hold in low esteem and more so because this kind of debating is highly respected in many contexts. If the impressiveness of arguments was more reliably correlated with quality of arguments this association would be weaker.
ETA: I can only assume that someone objects to the use of ‘bullshit’ as a descriptor as a distaste for the kind of advocacy I mention is not uncommon here. I tend to use the term to capture a rather precise philosophical concept that we don’t have a better word for. The term is ‘woo’ is the closest approximation.
FYI, not everyone who plays “Devil’s advocate” does so on a rhetorical basis. I don’t think a gut reaction of “bullshit” is appropriate to the term “Devil’s advocate.” Either that, or I have been using the term wrong.
When I use the term I mean, “For the sake of the conversation I will defend the position opposite yours.” If I defend it with rhetoric, I am not doing a very good job at playing Devil’s advocate.