Tactic of Tossing the Elephant / Throwing Mud at the Wall to See What Will Stick / Shotgun Argument

The tactic of tossing the elephant / throwing mud at the wall to see what will stick / shotgun argument occurs when so many arguments are given in a way that makes it impossible to respond to all of them in any detail. Sometimes, this is accomplished by asking one question after another. Sometimes, it is buy making one statement after another. Often it may be done with a combination of statements and questions. It can be accomplished in relatively few statements/questions when there is a contraint, such as a time constraint. Generally, claims can be made rather quickly, but answering the many claims takes much more time than making the claims. The tactic is effective because people lose interest, are not committed enough to truth to take the time to check it out, don't have the resources to check it out, or some other factor limits answering the claims. This tactic is often used in playing to a crowd. (further reading)

Examples of the Tactic of Tossing the Elephant / Throwing Mud at the Wall to See What Will Stick / Shotgun Argument

Bill Nye arguing against Creation science: "It means that Ken Ham's word, or his interpretation of these other words, is somehow to be more respected than what you can observe in nature, what you can find in your backyard in Kentucky. It’s a troubling and unsettling point of view and it’s one I very much would like you to address when you come back."

Bill Nye said, knowing that the format would not allow time for an answer to Bill Nye's obvious logical fallacies. Bill is using this tactic of tossing the elephant repeatedly, asking questions knowing that there won’t be time to answer. This tactic can take many forms. In this case, Bill Nye knew that the format was going to change and that there would be questions from the audience. He repeatedly asked unrelated questions so that Ken Ham would not have time to answer in this format, and, in this way, Bill Nye could create the false impression that Ken Ham didn't have answers to his many questions. It's a clever tactic that works to fool people, but it is dishonest communication.

Sandy: "Evolution is fact. Evolution is science. Christianity is anti-science. The Bible has many errors in it. The Gospel accounts of the resurrection don't line up. It advocates rape, slavery, and murder. I know Christains, and I'm more morally right than they are. None of what you said makes any sense, and you are just wrong and evil."

Rocky: "That's a lot of stuff to address. I hardly know where to start."

Rocky could have started by saying that Sandy has just given an excellent example of the logical fallacy of tossing the elephant, that none of the arguments against the Bible or Jesus Christ have merit because they are based on made-up stuff, and that he (Rocky) knows that Christ exists because he personally knows Jesus.

Further reading