Kettle Logic by Randy Ingermanson | Advanced Fiction Writing

 

Kettle Logic

 

by Randy Ingermanson 

 

Advanced Fiction Writing

I’m always on the lookout for ways to add conflict into fiction in a natural way. This month, I’ll look at a beautiful way to throw conflict into a story. It’s a method you’ve seen often in real life.

I learned this method from Seth Godin, who blogged recently on the subject of “kettle logic.”

I had never heard of kettle logic until I read Seth’s article, but I’d definitely seen it. Hundreds of times.

What is kettle logic? It’s a method of defending yourself by using contradictory claims.

An Example of Kettle Logic

It’s called kettle logic because of the example Sigmund Freud used to illustrate it.

A man was accused by his neighbor of returning a borrowed kettle in damaged condition.

The man defended himself this way:

a) I didn’t borrow your kettle.

b) When I borrowed it, the kettle was already damaged.

c) When I returned it, the kettle was in perfect condition.

Now, at most one of these defenses could actually be true. Because (a) is inconsistent with (b). And (b) is inconsistent with (c). And (c) is inconsistent with (a).

Why Would Anyone Use Kettle Logic?

My thinking on this is that nobody would use kettle logic if they were innocent. You only defend yourself with kettle logic because you’re guilty, and because you’re making up a defense on the fly. So you don’t have time to make it consistent. You keep throwing defenses at your accuser, hoping one of them will stick.

But the fact is that kettle logic does work, sort of. The accuser now has to refute all the defenses individually. But each time he does that, your defense gets stronger—because the inconsistencies in your defense start vanishing.

For example, if your neighbor attacks argument (a) by giving irrefutable proof that you did really borrow the kettle, then you can just admit that, yes, you borrowed the kettle, but now (a) is no longer inconsistent with (b) or (c) so you’ve removed two inconsistencies!

Kettle logic also works on an emotional level. When you throw a mass of inconsistent defenses at your accuser, he or she can’t help feeling irritated at the insult you’re making to their intelligence by offering up a massive pack of lies. And that irritation makes them less effective at pressing the case, because emotions interfere with logic.

So kettle logic can be a winning play in some cases. At the very least, it’s effective as a delaying tactic, and sometimes delay is all you need.

How to Fight Kettle Logic

How should the protagonist of your story deal with kettle logic? A winning strategy isn’t complicated. This is how you do it:

1. Don’t get mad. Getting mad plays into the hands of the person using kettle logic.
2. Point out that the defenses can’t all be true, and therefore the person using kettle logic is a liar and can’t be trusted.
3. Insist that the person has to come up with a consistent defense. That forces them to admit to several lies. And it reduces your job because now you have fewer claims to refute.

Homework

• Have you ever had someone use kettle logic on you? How did you feel when that happened? Can you use those feelings in your own fiction?
• Have you ever used kettle logic on someone else? What were your reasons for using it? Did you know you were lying? If so, how did you feel when you realized you were lying? Can you use those reasons and those feelings in your own fiction?

 

About The Author

Randy Ingermanson is a theoretical physicist and the award-winning author of six novels. He has taught at numerous writing conferences over the years and publishes the free monthly Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine.

 

 Randy Ingermanson Books at Amazon

 

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