Loaded Assumption
plural: loaded assumptions
[ローデッド・アサンプション]
noun (logic, rhetoric, debate)
Definition:
A loaded assumption is an unproven premise that is embedded within a statement or argument as if it were already established fact.
It forces the listener to implicitly accept a hidden claim in order to respond, often shifting the burden of proof or framing the opponent’s position unfairly.
Key Features:
Presents a controversial claim as a given.
Functions similarly to a loaded question, but appears in statements or arguments rather than interrogatives.
Complicates rational debate by smuggling in ideological, moral, or factual premises without justification.
Often used in political arguments, moral accusations, or emotionally charged discussions.
Etymology:
Modelled on loaded question (e.g., “Have you stopped lying?”), where the phrasing embeds an unverified presupposition.
Example Sentence:
In the debate, the Marxist commenter’s claim that I was “complicit in harm” unless I accepted his worldview was a classic loaded assumption, because it treated his ideological premise as already proven.
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