Miranda Craft

Dogmatism

Definition

The tendency to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true, without consideration of evidence or the opinions of others.

Making a claim without just verification.

Examples

A major factor that would play into the fallacy dogmatism would be religion. Believing in God because the bible says so would be an example of this because it relies on faith instead of because it is not reliable evidence.

Examples

Tarrot Cards: Along with religion, tarrot cards would be believing in something without just verification. People heed the fortune tellers’ word without reason, or evidence that they might be right in any way.

Susanna: Aye, sir, he have been searchin’ his books since he left you, sir. But he bid me tell you, that you might look to unnatural things for the cause of it.

Parris was showing dogmatism because he was banishing the thought of unnatural causes without just reasoning. He was not giving them any reason to believe there was no unnatural things happening.

Act I

Page 170 Parris: (his eyes going wide) No – no. There be no unnatural cause here. Tell him I have sent for Reverend Hale of Beverly, and Mr. Hale will surely confirm that. Let him look to medicine and put out all thought of unnatural causes here. There be none .

Hale: (with a tasty love of intellectual pursuit) Here is all the invisible world, caught, defined, and calculated. In these books the Devil stands stripped

Act I

your incubi and succubi; your witches that go by land, by air, and by sea; your wizards of the night and of the day. Have no dear now – we shall find him out if he has come among us, and I mean to crush him utterly if he has shown his face!

Hale was showing dogmatism because he was throwing the statement that he will surely get rid of all the demons in the town, without showing evidence that he will. He never presents proper record of the towns he has performed his exorcisms, he doesn’t provide any credibility at all.

Abigail: Don’t lie! She comes to me while I sleep; she’s always making me dream corruptions!

Act I

Page 187 Tituba: Why you say that, Abby?

Abigail: Sometimes I wake and find myself standing in the open doorway and not a stitch on my body! I always hear her laughing in my sleep. I hear her singing her Barbados songs and tempting me with – Abigail was showing dogmatism because she was accusing Tituba of bewitching her without proper evidence. Of course, not any of the accusations had probable reasoning along with them, but Abigail had accused so many people and the authorities were believing all of it.

Elizabeth: I cannot think to the Devil may own a woman’s soul, Mr. Hale, when she keeps an upright way, as I have. I am a good woman, I know it; and if you believe I may do only good work in the world, and yet be secretly bound to Satan, then I must tell you, sir, do not believe it.

Act 2

Page 200 Hale: But, woman, you do believe there are witches in – Elizabeth: If you think that I am one, then I say there are none.

Elizabeth was showing dogmatism because she was making the claim that there are no witches without just verification. She was simply stating that she wasn’t a witch, a statement of which she didn’t give evidence to either.

Danforth: And do you know that near to four hundred are in the jails from Marblehead to Lynn, and upon my signature?

Act 4

Page 210 Francis: I – Danforth: And seventy-two condemned to hang by that signature?

•••••••••••••

Danforth: Now, Mr. Proctor, before I decide Danforth was showing dogmatism because he was making claims that he is the head of the court without validity. He was making those statements loosely, because he did not expect anyone to rise over him.

whether I will hear you or not, it is my duty to tell you this. We burn a hot fire here; it melts down all concealment.

Danforth: I am sure of it, Marshal. Now, What deposition do you have for us, Mr. Proctor? And I beg you be clear, open as the sky, and honest.

Act 4

Page 212 Proctor: I am no lawyer, so I’ll – Danforth: The pure in heart need no lawyers. Proceed as you will.

Danforth is exhibiting dogmatism here by creating a sense of blame on Proctor to give his honest deposition of what had happened. He is putting the spotlight on Mr. Proctor so he does not have to have any credibility on why his is asserting his authority.

Abigail: Why, this – this – is a base question, sir.

Danforth: Child, I would have you consider it –

Act 4

Page 215 Abigail: I have been hurt, Mr. Danforth; I have seen my blood runnin’ out! I have been near to murdered every day because I done my duty pointing out the Devil’s people – and this is my reward? To be mistrusted, denied, questioned like a – Abigail is showing dogmatism here when she changes Danforth’s subject that he is bringing up to make things go her way. She is bringing up a factor that would make her the victim in the situation and she makes these claims without cause or evidence.

Works Cited

•A Dogmatic Boss. Dogmatic. FreeTestPrep. n.d. Web. 16 February 2012.

•Tindall, Mark. “The Spirit of Dogmatism.” Blogspot. 17 September 2011. Web. 16 February 2012.

•Harris, Sam. “Dogmatism.” tumblr. 24 October 2011. Web. 16 February 2012.

•Perrott, Ken. “Dogmatism of the “supernatural”.” Open Parachute. Wordpress. 31 December 2008. Weblog. 16 February 2012.