02 September 2009

Thought-terminating cliches

A thought-terminating cliché is a commonly used phrase, sometimes passing as folk wisdom, used to quell cognitive dissonance. Though the phrase in and of itself may be valid in certain contexts, its application as a means of dismissing dissent or justifying fallacious logic is what makes it thought-terminating.
  • "Whatever."
  • "We will have to agree to disagree."
  • "I'm just sayin'."
  • "Such is life."
  • "Think about it."
  • "God works in mysterious ways."
  • "Love it or leave it."
  • "That's a conspiracy theory."

Many more examples at Wikipedia.

4 comments:

  1. Saying something is a 'thought-terminating cliche' is in itself, a thought-terminating cliche :o)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Possibly the most redundant and pedantic of all:

    "It is what it is."

    ReplyDelete
  3. So there you have it.

    ReplyDelete