MtG counterspell is a card but it’s also a spell category. Spell in that category usually cost less the more specific their target restrictions are. They also all accomplish the same thing in that ultimately nothing happens (ie a cancellation).
Using magic here as a metaphor might be fitting as the point of such a move is to reveal that the machinery supposed to be employed actually doesn’t do anything ie that magic doesn’t work and is just wishful thinking. The worry would be that by acknowledging the attempted methods you “steep down to their level” ie employ magic yourself despite not believing in it.
Thanks; I legitimately misunderstood at first read whether “counterspell” was intended to apply to the invocations thrown out by bad arguers or the concise and specific distillations the OP is presenting for use. On re-read, I agree that it’s supposed to be a set of useful tools.
I remain convinced of the specific claim that “counterspell” is bad jargon (though I don’t think it’s good practice to cite my own confusion too strongly; the incentives there aren’t great). I agree that MtG″s paradigm where more general counterspells are more expensive seems like a good fit for thinking about rhetorical (and perhaps epistemic) tactics, though I reiterate that that’s not how they work in many other settings, and that ambiguous baggage is worse than no baggage for this sort of thing. The question of whether identifying counterspells with magic is supposed to be a positive or negative association is additional gratuitous confusion—I think your claim that the magic metaphor implies they don’t work is wrong, but I’m not 85% sure.
“Counterspells” are supposed to be useful.
MtG counterspell is a card but it’s also a spell category. Spell in that category usually cost less the more specific their target restrictions are. They also all accomplish the same thing in that ultimately nothing happens (ie a cancellation).
Using magic here as a metaphor might be fitting as the point of such a move is to reveal that the machinery supposed to be employed actually doesn’t do anything ie that magic doesn’t work and is just wishful thinking. The worry would be that by acknowledging the attempted methods you “steep down to their level” ie employ magic yourself despite not believing in it.
Thanks; I legitimately misunderstood at first read whether “counterspell” was intended to apply to the invocations thrown out by bad arguers or the concise and specific distillations the OP is presenting for use. On re-read, I agree that it’s supposed to be a set of useful tools.
I remain convinced of the specific claim that “counterspell” is bad jargon (though I don’t think it’s good practice to cite my own confusion too strongly; the incentives there aren’t great). I agree that MtG″s paradigm where more general counterspells are more expensive seems like a good fit for thinking about rhetorical (and perhaps epistemic) tactics, though I reiterate that that’s not how they work in many other settings, and that ambiguous baggage is worse than no baggage for this sort of thing. The question of whether identifying counterspells with magic is supposed to be a positive or negative association is additional gratuitous confusion—I think your claim that the magic metaphor implies they don’t work is wrong, but I’m not 85% sure.