Well, recently the Gallop has been brought to international attention and fame thanks not only to prominent Galloper Donald Trump, but also by journalists and academics refuting this tactic. So, why am I even bothering to talk about a rhetorical tactic used by some wily Young Earth Creationist? Instead, he resorted to the rhetorical technique he’s now known for, and galloped his arguments into the public spotlight. Ultimately, it’s irrelevant whether Gish understood the meaning of the word science or not since he never actually employed the scientific process in a credible manner to get his point across. While I could probably unleash a good rant about what science actually means (hint: not the creation of the universe as many people seem to think), I’ll keep those words store for another. That of course should not be confused with Gish having made any prominent scientific claims to his conjectures, just that he attempted to masquerade them as science. As the president of the Institute for Creation Research and the author of numerous books he was a prominent voice in attempting to make creationism a science. The recently passed-away Gish was a prominent Young Earth Creationist. Gish Gallopers (henceforth, just Gallopers) inherit their title from a certain Duane Tolbert Gish, the original Galloper after whom the tactic was named. (For more information, be sure to check out the rather insightful article found in Rational Wiki about this tactic). What is a Gish Gallop?Ī Gish Gallop is a rhetorical tactic used by bullshitters whereby the speaker unleased a rapid-fire succession of spewed nonsense and non-truth which bears a passing resemblance to fact and seemingly plausible scientific certainly often the galloper benefits from a commanding nature / appearance of authority when making such claims. Well my friend, you were probably the victim of a Gish Gallop. Not only was this argument complete nonsense, but a whole array of nonsense bundled together with often shallow half-truths that was so knee-deep in the bullshit that you felt totally unsure where to even begin when refuting it? Have you ever found yourself out in the world, either over a coffee with some acquaintances, at your computer browsing the web, or even tuned into the news, and heard an argument that’s simply left you flabbergasted and reeling for air?

Gish gallop