Word Finder - refutation

definition

An act of refuting or disproving; the disproving of an argument, opinion, testimony, doctrine or theory by argument or countervailing proof; evidence of falseness.

synonyms

• confutation
• disproof

definition

A vocal answer to an attack on one's assertions.

The second part is the refutation of the doctrines of John XXII.

The work is professedly a refutation of Hutcheson, but is rather constructive than polemical.

Such vagaries require no refutation.

Their refutation of the Protestant positions seemed needlessly sharp to the emperor, and five drafts were made of it.

Each of them, the probability (chap. 8), the example (chap. 9), the proof (chap. to), the consideration (chap. 11), the maxim (chap. 12), the sign (chap. 13), the refutation (chap. 14), though very like what it is in the Rhetoric, receives in the Rhetoric to Alexander a definition slightly different from the definition in the Rhetoric, which it must be remembered is also the definition in the Prior Analytics.

Boyle's Vindication and Bentley's refutation of the authenticity of Phalaris came later.

In 1563 the long-gathering storm of obloquy burst upon the occasion of the publication of his Thirty Dialogues, in one of which his adversaries maintained that he had justified polygamy under colour of a pretended refutation.

But this proof that the true kingdom of God could not be realized in an earthly state, under the limitations of national particularism, was not the final refutation of the Old Testament hope.

A second apology, written before 379 (`Tirp d7roXoylas airoXoyia), exists only in the quotations given from it in a refutation by Gregory of Nyssa.

A hundred bad writers misrepresented him and reviled him; but not one of the hundred could boast of having been thought by him worthy of a refutation, or even of a retort.

In 1 706 he wrote a refutation of Dr Henry Dodwell's views on the immortality of the soul, and this drew him into controversy with Anthony Collins.

Parish, Hallucinations and Illusions and Zur Kritik des telepathischen Beweismaterials, and Mrs Sidgwick's refutation in Proc. S.P.R.

This did not suit Philip, who, although he instituted a process in the supreme tribunal of Aragon, speedily abandoned it and caused Perez to be attacked from another side, the charge of heresy being now preferred, arising out of certain reckless and even blasphe On the other hand it is suggested that this story of his being the son of Gomez was only circulated by Ruy Gomez's wife, Ana de Mendoza, as a refutation of the possibility of a supposed amour between her and Perez.

Meanwhile other identifications, earlier or later, were also supported, in whose case the facts are a sufficient refutation.

Besides scattered reminiscences of Romans, I Corinthians and Galatians, enumerated in the article referred to, the section devoted to a refutation of the doctrine of "justification by faith apart from works" undeniably presupposes the Pauline terminology.

But for him the alternative was between Calvinism and Arminianism, simply because of the historical situation, and in the refutation of Arminianism on the assumptions common to both sides of the controversy, he must be considered completely successful.

The total result, if adequate steps can be taken to counteract the effects of atmospheric change in future, will remain a splendid gain for posterity and a happy refutation of D'Annunzio's despairing poem, the Death of a Masterpiece.

In 1762 and 1764 he published experiments in refutation of the decision of the Florentine Academy, at that time generally accepted, that water is incompressible; and in 1768 he described the preparation, by calcining oyster-shell with sulphur, of the phosphorescent material known as Canton's phosphorus.

The first step in the scientific refutation of the theory of abiogenesis was taken by the Italian Redi, who, in 1668, proved that no maggots were "bred" in meat on which flies were prevented by wire screens from laying their eggs.

The discovery of the microscope carried the refutation further.

It must be noted, however, that this disproof relates only to known existing organisms. All these are composed of a definite substance, known as protoplasm, and the modern refutation of abiogenesis applies only to the organic forms in which protoplasm now exists.

The refutation of abiogenesis has no further bearing on this possibility than to make it probable that if protoplasm ultimately be formed in the laboratory, it will be by a series of stages, the earlier steps being the formation of some substance, or substances, now unknown, which are not protoplasm.

Such intermediate stages may have existed in the past, and the modern refutation of abiogenesis has no application to the possibility of these having been formed from inorganic matter at some past time.

The material is so vast in extent, and in so chaotic a condition, that the construction of any such theory is only calculated to invite refutation and discredit.

Aristotle had already been led to attempt a refutation of the Socratic identification of virtue with knowledge; but his attempt had only shown the profound difficulty of attacking the paradox, so long as it was admitted that no one could of deliberate purpose act contrary to what seemed to him best.

Thus, though incidentally there is much to be learned from Nietzsche, especially from his criticism of the ethics of pessimism, or from the strictures he passes upon the negative morality of extreme asceticism or quietism, his system inevitably provides its own refutation.

Thus, several French writers - notably, Tannery and Noel - regard them as dilemmas advanced, with some measure of success, in refutation of specific doctrines attributed to the Pythagoreans.

Having invented four arguments all immeasurably subtle and profound, the grossness of subsequent philosophers pronounced him to be a mere ingenious juggler, and his arguments to be one and all sophisms. After two thousand years of continual refutation, these sophisms were reinstated, and made the foundation of a mathematical renaissance, by a German professor, who probably never dreamed of any connexion between himself and Zeno.

The former should be regarded as asserting that the whole is, not temporally, but logically, subsequent to the part, and that therefore there is an infinite regress in the notion of a whole which is infinitely divisible - a view which at any rate demands a serious refutation.

Finally, the last paradox may be interpreted as a valid refutation of the doctrine that space and time are not infinitely divisible.

The chief work of Irenaeus, written about 180, is his "Refutation and Overthrow of Gnosis, falsely so called" (usually in- dicated by the name Against the Heresies).

He brought with him, for the refutation of calumnious reports circulated by his enemies, a written certificate from Cardinal Bellarmin, to the effect that no abjuration had been required of or penance imposed upon him.

Life is constant probing and testing, conjecture and refutation.

The detection loophole in the refutation of the family of Local Realistic Theories will thereby be closed.

Wittgenstein, in his appeal to ordinary language, is supposed to offer a refutation of skepticism.

To me all that is such a disconnection from sense the asylum run by the lunatics as to need no refutation.

The opinion of some that it means the wind, is too frigid to require refutation.

Dante gives a refutation of the doctrine of the multiplicity of souls, ascribed to Plato by Thomas Aquinas.

Yet we will provide additional refutation of Zawadi's desperate distortions of biblical teaching as we move along.

What is needed in science is to test the knowledge by attempted refutation.

Here are just a few points, not in any way an attempt at a complete refutation of the article.

Perhaps a good refutation of that type of argument is provided by the British case.

But the most thorough refutation of the claim that Muhammad is the Comforter is found in this chapter in a larger book.

The only hurt they do not suffer is comprehensive refutation.

General purpose inference systems, such as Prolog's resolution refutation can be used to solve problems stated in logic.

He has certainly not indulged in a careful reading or point-by-point refutation of Luther, or indeed of any classic Protestant writer on justification.

Certainly genuine are the refutation ('Avarpori 7) of Cyril's twelve a.vaOENcarcamoi of Nestorius, and the 'EpavirTns, or IIoXu,uopcos, (written about 446), consisting of three dialogues, entitled respectively "Arpsirros, 'A r yxvros, and 'Aira01, in which the monophysitism of Cyril is opposed, and its Apollinarian character insisted on.

For Ignoratio Elenchi (ignorance of the refutation) see Fallacy.

It is only possible to allude briefly here to the different conclusions that he has attained in treating the various problems, as for example in Aesthetic, the unity of art and language, of intuition and expression, the negation of particular arts, the refutation of literary and artistic classes, the criticism of rhetoric, of grammar and so forth; and in the Philosophy of the Practical or of Practice, the conciliation of the antitheses of utilitarianism and moralism, the critique of precepts, of laws and of casuistry, the new conception of judgments of value, the constitution of a philosophic economy side by side with the science of Economy, the resolution of the Philosophy of rights in the Philosophy of economic, and so forth.

A few fragments and numerous quotations in his principal book form our only knowledge of the Kitab al-Tashwir (" Book of Refutation") a controversial work in four parts, in which Rabbi Jonah successfully repelled the attacks of the opponents of his first treatise.