Difference between revisions of "So what"
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In a discoursive context, it can be thought of as equivalent to "What is your point?" or "What point are you trying to make?" | In a discoursive context, it can be thought of as equivalent to "What is your point?" or "What point are you trying to make?" | ||
| − | + | ||
| − | + | ''see also {{issuepedia}}'' | |
| + | ==Examples== | ||
| + | * [[/if|irrelevant claims]]: a list of specific claims that are often used as if they proved something, but actually don't | ||
Revision as of 22:16, 2 November 2020
About
"So what?", a common phrase in the American vernacular, more or less stands for one or more of the following arguments:
- I am not clear what conclusion you are attempting to imply with what you just said.
- I do not see how what you just said alters the outcome of our discussion.
- I do not see the logical connection between what you just said and the current topic.
Where one or more links or references have been given but with no real explanation of the logical connection involved, it can also mean:
- I do not have time or energy to investigate your bookstop and attempt to divine its applicability to the current discussion; you will need to summarize and explain if you wish your comment to be considered relevant.
While its use is often dismissed as an immature tactic for avoiding rational debate, it is actually an entirely reasonable (if extremely compact) expression of basic skepticism.
In a discoursive context, it can be thought of as equivalent to "What is your point?" or "What point are you trying to make?"
see also Issuepedia
Examples
- irrelevant claims: a list of specific claims that are often used as if they proved something, but actually don't