new logical fallacy (wotd)

[pavelthegeek]

Argumentum ad Slashdotum ("appeal to nerdiness") directs attention to some scientifically sound explanation of phenomena based on an incomplete model, thus overstepping its relevancy in a real world scenario (as seen in this discussion on homemade AC). A special case of Argumentum ad Verecundiam ("appeal to authority").

Comments

[sivart13]

Is the fallacy the fact that someone appealed to slashdot for a debunking, or the fact that the poster of the original page was nerdy enough to develop an AC system like that based on sketchy reasoning (extending an idea beyond it's practicality - i.e. "imagine a beowulf cluster of these")?

If it's the former, I'm very often guilty of argumentum ad snopes and ad dope.

[pavelthegeek]

I think it's neither of the ones you mentioned. It is committed by the slashdot poster cited in that discussion - everything he says is true, but it doesn't fully describe the AC system described in the post.

[1tophi]

*applauds wildly*