Hym “Privation is good so let’s print 2 trillion dollars and tank the economy. Dr. Jeepjorp won’t be effected. Unless someone takes it into their own hands... Nah.. that’ll never happen.”
by Hym Iam September 27, 2022
Get the Privation mug.Hym "So... If you DON'T ACTUALLY NEED THEIR REALITY MONSTER... Well... That's nothing a little OPTIMAL PRIVATION WON'T FIX! Then you'll have nowhere else to turn. And if you DON'T? Well, the creature will sort you out after you're dead. So, they need to manufacture it with inaction. People can be quoted saying 'Well, so-and-so could fix world hunger over night' BUT that would get rid of all the privation. No need for Jesus anymore. The church would have no one to feed to justify all of the money they are given. The poor are perpetual money farms so long as you create a perpetual state of privation. Because people are always willing to donate to charity or church. They aren't even expected to spend all of the money ON THE ACTUAL THING FOR WHICH THEY ARE BEING GIVEN THE MONEY. The don't have to show their receipts."
by Hym Iam August 14, 2023
Get the Optimal privation mug.A logical fallacy where someone dismisses an entire ideology, system, or idea by pointing to its worst outcomes, stripped of all context, history, and mitigating factors. The name comes from the classic "Communism killed millions" argument—which isn't false on its face, but becomes fallacious when used to end all discussion without examining specific contexts, variations, alternatives, or comparative harms. The Fallacy of Absolute Privation isolates the worst instances, treats them as the whole truth, and uses suffering as a conversation-stopper. It's not that the suffering isn't real—it's that citing it without context, comparison, or analysis is a rhetorical weapon, not an argument. Any system, ideology, or idea can be condemned by its worst expressions; the fallacy is pretending that's the end of the story.
Fallacy of Absolute Privation (Fallacy of Communism Killed Millions) "We were discussing educational reforms, and someone mentioned learning from Nordic models. Response: 'Nordic socialism? You mean like Communism that killed millions?' That's the Fallacy of Absolute Privation—conflating Nordic social democracy with Soviet communism, ignoring all context, and using historical tragedy to shut down discussion of school lunch programs."
by Dumu The Void February 24, 2026
Get the Fallacy of Absolute Privation (Fallacy of Communism Killed Millions) mug.A fallacy where someone takes a single isolated instance of harm, suffering, or failure and uses it to condemn an entire system, practice, or idea. Unlike Absolute Privation (which focuses on the worst historical examples), Isolated Privation grabs one anecdote—one medical error, one plane crash, one bad teacher—and treats it as representative of the whole. "One patient died from this treatment, therefore the treatment is worthless." "One plane crashed, therefore air travel is unsafe." "One priest abused a child, therefore the entire institution is evil." The isolated case may be real, but using it to condemn the whole ignores base rates, statistical reasoning, and the difference between exceptions and rules.
"My aunt tried acupuncture once and didn't feel better. Now she says 'Acupuncture is complete fraud' every time it's mentioned. That's Fallacy of Isolated Privation—one anecdote, zero context, infinite certainty. The plural of anecdote is not data, Karen."
by Dumu The Void February 24, 2026
Get the Fallacy of Isolated Privation mug.A fallacy where someone identifies a specific harm, flaw, or failure within a system and uses that specific critique to dismiss the entire system without addressing its other aspects, benefits, or complexities. The critique may be valid—the specific privation is real—but the fallacy lies in treating it as dispositive, as if acknowledging one problem means nothing else matters. "This hospital has long waiting times, therefore healthcare is completely broken." "This politician made a mistake, therefore everything they've done is worthless." "This theory has one unexplained phenomenon, therefore the whole theory is garbage." Specific Privation mistakes a part for the whole, a flaw for a failure, a critique for a conclusion.
"I pointed out one limitation in a philosophical framework I generally admire. Response: 'Aha! So you admit it's completely wrong!' That's Fallacy of Specific Privation—a valid critique of one aspect becomes, in their hands, proof that the whole thing is worthless. Criticism isn't condemnation, but try telling them that."
by Dumu The Void February 24, 2026
Get the Fallacy of Specific Privation mug.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
Get the Fallacy of General Privation mug.A fallacy where someone applies standards of privation—demands to account for harm, suffering, or failure—selectively, demanding that one system or idea be judged by its worst outcomes while exempting another system from the same standard. "Religion has caused wars, therefore religion is evil" from someone who ignores wars fought for secular ideologies. "Science has been wrong before, therefore science isn't trustworthy" from someone who trusts science when it confirms their biases. "Your side has bad people" from someone whose side also has bad people, but that doesn't count. Special Privation is hypocrisy in logical form: the harms that matter are the harms your opponents cause; your side's harms are justified, minimal, or irrelevant.
"He spent an hour listing every harm caused by organized religion throughout history. When I mentioned secular atrocities, he said 'That's different—those weren't really about ideology.' That's Fallacy of Special Privation: one standard for them, another for us. The privation is special because it only applies to people we don't like."
by Dumu The Void February 24, 2026
Get the Fallacy of Special Privation mug.