My prolepsis

prolepsis

\ proh-LEP-sis \  , noun;

1. Rhetoric.  the anticipation of possible objections in order to answer them in advance.

2. the assigning of a person, event, etc., to a period earlier than the actual one; the representation of something in the future as if it already existed or had occurred; prochronism.

3. the use of a descriptive word in anticipation of its becoming applicable.

4. a fundamental conception or assumption in Epicureanism or Stoicism arising spontaneously in the mind without conscious reflection; thought provoked by sense perception.

5. Pathology.  the return of an attack of a periodic disease or of a paroxysm before the expected time or at progressively shorter intervals.

 

 Dictionary.com's challenge for me today makes me think a lot about speech and debate, of which I knew several people in high school belonging to the S&D club.  

 

Picture two people in an argument, they're really going at it, and there can only be one winner, and one loser.

 

Prolepsis, I believe, is knowing the fault in your own argument.  If you can predict what kind of objection someone is going to have to your argument, there is clearly some kind of flaw in it.  For example, if I wanted to argue that the dining hall should serve chocolate cake every night for dinner, I should anticipate the prolepsis, that perhaps not everyone likes chocolate cake, or that it makes you fat, or that it's not healthy.

My arguments cease to amaze many a courtroom.