In rhetoric, an unsupported assertion is an ipsedixitism. The term is pejorative.
An ipsedixitism can not be explicitly defined as an axiom, though it is often treated as the first step in a logic chain.
Usage
Ipsedixitisms are introduced as though supporting argument is unnecessary, and as such invoke an implcit appeal to the authority of the author.
Labelling any assertion 'an ipsedixitism' suggests that it is arbitrary as well as unsupported. It often implies dogmatic belief, or senseless repetition. In the first case it is an accusation of closed-mindedness, in the second, of bad faith.
An assertion is only accused of being an ipsedixitism in order to challenge it. A unsupported statement will generally not be called an ipsedixitism when it is an acceptable assumption, though technically it could be.
Examples
Post Modern
As yet, this article has provided no evidence that ipsedixitsm actually means an 'unsupported statement', it has simply been asserted. Without reasoning or citations the first sentence in this definition could be an 'ipsedixitsm' (by the definition here). Linking to this page externally to establish ipsedixitism's definition would then become an appeal to Wikipedia's authority, but would not be an ipsedixitism, despite depending on one. However, quoting yourself invites the ipsedixitsm label (that you yourself have made the original claim). Therefore, a link here from another Wikipedia page could be called an ipsedixitism, though this is generally done only when the statement is disputed. (Technically, all self-references are ipsedixitisms, but the term is only applied as criticism.)
Legal usage implying an argument in bad-faith
In a dissenting opinion to a 1976 safety commission report, one of the commissioners accuses the other two (Barnanko & Cleary) of relying on an unsupported assertion:
The same holds true for the Barnako-Cleary ipsedixitism - repeated again in this case - concerning the status of an unreviewed Judge's decision. Not once have they ever cited any authority for that assertion.
Legal usage implying high-handedness
The 1998 Indiana tax court held that a particular formula for rejecting tax adjustment appeals was the the "apotheosis of ipsedixitism", because no evidence was presented that the formula accurately converted tax assessors' criteria into the tax rule conditions necessary for appeal rejection.
"the State Board has no way of knowing whether the grades given by local assessors adequately accounted for the lowered reproduction cost". Therefore, the use of the rule was not merely unsupported; in any individual case it was likely to be wrong.
Etymology
Latin: Ipse dixit: "He, himself, said it".
The Latin phrase is still commonly used as a synonym since the usage remains a literal translation; Mr A says that something is true because he says it is, and B tells C that this isn't good enough because only Mr A's own words back him up.
External links
Last updated: 05-27-2005 04:25:30
