Rev's Law

[st_rev]

This seems like it ought to be a well-known principle, but I can't find it set down anywhere, so I am claiming it for myself.
Rev's Law: Given sufficient inferential distance, wrong and confident is more convincing than correct and hedged.

Comments

[luagha]

Hedging inherently weakens rhetoric.

[st_rev]

And that's terrible.

[lhn]

I think the first clause may be superfluous. Drop the first clause.

Man, I had to overcome an almost physical resistance to typing the second phrasing. I'm wired so that I'd much rather be [as] accurate and complete [as possible] than convincing. Even knowing the world is made for those wired the other way.

[st_rev]

Inferential distance is important; on matters that are inferentially close, people can be much more measured and harder to fool.

[lhn]

Maybe so. ;-)

[twoeleven]

See also