A fallacy where someone makes a vague, general accusation of harm or failure—"this system causes suffering," "this idea has negative consequences," "these people have done bad things"—without specifying what harm, to whom, under what conditions, or compared to what alternatives. The accusation is broad enough to be unfalsifiable and vague enough to avoid evidence. General Privation trades on the emotional power of "harm" without the intellectual work of demonstrating it. It's the rhetorical equivalent of "something bad happened somewhere, therefore your point is invalid." The privation is asserted, not demonstrated; generalized, not specified; weaponized, not analyzed.
"Every time I try to discuss economic policy, someone says 'Capitalism causes suffering.' That's the Fallacy of General Privation—vague enough to be unanswerable, broad enough to shut down discussion, and completely useless for actual policy analysis. What suffering? Where? Compared to what? The generality is the point—it's a conversation-ender, not a contribution."
by Dumu The Void February 24, 2026
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