Everyone Recognizes Snuck Premises

Hello. Today we're discussing snuck premises

What is a snuck premise? Well, I am not a logician or an expert in the field, but I do know the basic understanding of the snuck premise. A snuck premise is a proposition somebody implies without directly saying it.

Maybe you caught on already.

If not, don't be discouraged. It can be a little confusing to understand at first, so I came prepared. The title of this article contains a snuck premise! The statement that "everyone recognizes snuck premises" sneaks in an assumed, but unstated claim that everyone actually knows what a snuck premise is! Snuck premises happen all the time, regardless of the person.

Here's an example:

When asked why he doesn't believe in abortion, Ben Shapiro (well-known lawyer and political debater) responded, "I do not believe in killing babies."

For now, regardless of your political position on this issue, take this statement at face value. The snuck premise is subtle because of the wording. Shapiro is sneaking in the premise that abortion is killing, and also the premise that what is being aborted as a human. Reread the wording of his response to catch both snuck premises.

The reason this is an effective device is that the statements "abortion is killing" and "the thing aborted is a human" are not directly spoken, but because of their implication, the conclusion follows suit of what the person believes without the opponent necessarily catching what was implied.

NOTE: this is different than assuming your position is the truth right from the beginning.

A snuck premise is a rhetorical device that is generally used to persuade somebody of an idea. It is important to see that snuck premises are NOT twisting the words of the opponent. Employing a snuck premise does NOT mean changing the meanings of the opponent's words and it does NOT mean assuming everything you say is true.

Employing a snuck premise means making a statement that is derived of unspoken, but implied, premises.

This still a little confusing and possibly in the gray-zone?

Let's suppose Joe believes that the true football should be played with the ol' pigskin and not by kicking a ball around. Let's suppose further that Bob wants to come to a conclusion that uses a statement Joe disagrees with, but doesn't want to directly say it to him. In other words, Bob wants to create a snuck premise...for this example it could be "American football is just a ploy to make millions."

Bob could say, "European football is better because isn't there just to make a buck."

This is a sort of silly argument in the first place, but nevertheless, we can still analyze it. Bob succeeds in sneaking in the premise that American football is there just to "make a buck." NOTE: the premise that European football is better than American football is NOT a snuck premise, because he directly says so.

So, the next time you're in a friendly conversation or debate or verbal war --

watch out for the snuck premises. Don't fear them...just be aware of their presence and gauge a proper response if need be.

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!
~Caleb A