An argument that attempts to cover too much ground with too few specifics, using grand, universal language to condemn or endorse huge categories of things (e.g., "all government," "modern art," "that generation"). It sacrifices precision for rhetorical force.
Example: "Her sweeping argument was exhausting: 'Everything in popular culture is a manufactured commodity designed to pacify the proletariat!' Movies, music, memes—it was all swept into one giant, simplistic critique, leaving no room for nuance, exception, or joy."
by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026
Get the Sweeping Argument mug.A debate where the scope relentlessly expands to encompass larger and larger philosophical, historical, or moral questions, making resolution impossible. Every point about a specific tax policy sweeps into a debate about the nature of justice, freedom, and human existence.
Example: "What started as a debate about pizza toppings swept into a debate about Italian cultural appropriation, the agricultural industry, animal ethics, and the philosophy of taste. Two hours later, no one knew if pineapple was acceptable, but everyone was angry about capitalism." Sweeping Debate
by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026
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Making grand, universal claims about complex systems (like human behavior, climate, or ecosystems) based on oversimplified models or a single disciplinary lens. It's the over-extension of a scientific paradigm beyond its useful domain, ignoring confounding variables and the inherent complexity of the subject.
Example: "His sweeping science approach claimed all human mating choices could be reduced to a simple genetic algorithm for optimal offspring. It ignored culture, love, personal history, and the entire field of sociology. It was a biologist's hammer treating the human heart as a nail."
by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026
Get the Sweeping Science mug.The practice of drawing broad, universal conclusions from limited, specific evidence—generalizing wildly from a few studies, a single experiment, or personal observation. Sweeping science is what happens when a preliminary finding is treated as settled fact, when a correlation is treated as causation, when a local result is applied globally. It's the science of headlines ("Coffee Causes Cancer," then "Coffee Prevents Cancer") rather than careful research. Sweeping science is beloved of journalists who need clickable stories, advocates who need supporting evidence, and anyone who prefers certainty to accuracy. The cure is recognizing that science is incremental, that single studies prove nothing, that generalizations require replication, meta-analysis, and time.
Example: "A study of 50 people found that a new diet improved health. Sweeping science declared it 'the miracle diet'—blogs, headlines, books. Ten years later, the results couldn't be replicated. Sweeping science had moved on to the next miracle, leaving confusion and failed expectations behind."
by Dumu The Void February 18, 2026
Get the Sweeping Science mug.“I’m sleepindeepin his lungs. He wants to deny that.”
“Everyone is tired from last night, we’ll be sleepindeepin the bunny apartment!”
“Everyone is tired from last night, we’ll be sleepindeepin the bunny apartment!”
by cherish @aslut4words July 30, 2025
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Get the sleepin on the bus mug."Hello nice to meet you." "You as well." {lean in and kiss hand} {first person pulls back} "What was that." {laughter} "That was a hand sweeping."
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