Definition:
The part of an argument wherein a speaker or writer anticipates and counters opposing points of view. One of the progymnasmata. See also: What Are the Progymnasmata?
Etymology:
From the Old English, "beat"Examples and Observations:
- "Refutation of Objections should generally be placed in the midst of the Argument; but nearer the beginning than the end.
"If indeed very strong objections have obtained much currency, or have been just stated by an opponent, so that what is asserted is likely to be regarded as paradoxical, it may be advisable to begin with a Refutation."
(Richard Whately, Elements of Rhetoric, 1846) - "There will be those who say 'Go slow. Don't upset the status quo.' No doubt we will hear this from competitors who perceive that they have an advantage today and want regulation to protect their advantage. Or we will hear from those who are behind in the race to compete and want to slow down deployment for their own self interest. Or we will hear from those that just want to resist changing the status quo for no other reason than change brings less certainty than the status quo. They will resist change for that reason alone.
"So we may well hear from a whole chorus of naysayers. And to all of them I have only one response: we cannot afford to wait. We cannot afford to let the homes and schools and businesses throughout America wait. Not when we have seen the future. We have seen what high capacity broadband can do for education and for our economy. We must act today to create an environment where all competitors have a fair shot at bringing high capacity bandwidth to consumers--especially residential consumers. And especially residential consumers in rural and underserved areas."
(William Kennard, Chairman of the FCC, July 27, 1998)
Pronunciation: REF-yoo-TAY-shun
Also Known As: confutation
