Rationalist Taboo

Rationalist taboo is a technique for fighting muddles in discussions. By prohibiting the use of a certain word and all the words synonymous to it, people are forced to elucidate the specific contextual meaning they want to express, thus removing ambiguity otherwise present in a single word.

Main posts

• Taboo Your Words
• Replace the Symbol with the Substance

Other posts

• Disputing Definitions - An example of how the technique helps.
• Words as Hidden Inferences - The mere presence of words can influence thinking, sometimes misleading it.
• Detached Lever Fallacy - There is a lot of machinery hidden beneath the words, and rationalist's taboo is one way to make a step towards exposing it.