destructive sorites

noun

A form of reductio ad absurdum which involves the denial of the first of a series of dependent propositions as a consequence of the denial of the last.

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Meanings

noundestructive sorites (plural destructive sorites)
  1. human sciencesA form of reductio ad absurdum which involves the denial of the first of a series of dependent propositions as a consequence of the denial of the last.

    In a destructive Sorites, you, of course, go back from the denial of the last consequent to the denial of the first antecedent

    1826, Richard Whately, Elements of Logic
Cite this entry
APA

destructive sorites. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/destructive%20sorites

MLA

“destructive sorites.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/destructive%20sorites. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “destructive sorites,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/destructive%20sorites.

Source: destructive sorites on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.