ad hoc comes from Latin and it means "for this", "created for a cetain purpose". When someone comes up with a reason not to do something or to support an opinion.
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Get the Ad-Hoc mug.The principle that arguments, explanations, or solutions constructed for a specific purpose, without broader application, can be valid within that specific context even if they fail elsewhere. The law acknowledges that ad hoc reasoning—devised for the occasion, not generalizable—has its place. In emergency response, ad hoc solutions save lives; in scientific discovery, ad hoc hypotheses guide research; in everyday life, ad hoc explanations get us through the day. The problem arises when ad hoc validity is mistaken for general validity—when the explanation that works for this one case is treated as a universal law. The law of the ad hoc validity reminds us that context matters, and that validity is not binary but situational.
Example: "His excuse for being late—traffic, then a train, then a stray dog—was ad hoc, invented for the occasion. But it was valid ad hoc: it explained this specific lateness to this specific boss on this specific day. The law of the ad hoc validity said: it works for this case; don't try to generalize it. His boss accepted it, which was all that mattered."
by Dumu The Void February 17, 2026
Get the Law of the Ad Hoc Validity mug.The principle that ad hoc constructions—explanations, arguments, solutions devised for a specific purpose—can be genuinely valid within their limited domain. The law is a defense of pragmatism against purism: not everything needs to be universal to be useful. A theory that explains one phenomenon, even if it fails elsewhere, is valid for that phenomenon. A solution that works once, even if not replicable, is valid for that once. The law of the valid ad hoc reminds us that validity is not all-or-nothing; it comes in degrees and contexts. The valid ad hoc is the workhorse of practical life, even if it doesn't make it into textbooks.
Example: "She jury-rigged a fix for her broken printer using tape and a paperclip. It worked exactly once, for exactly one document, then fell apart. The law of the valid ad hoc said: it was valid for that document, at that moment. It wasn't engineering; it was survival. Sometimes survival is enough."
by Dumu The Void February 17, 2026
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