Talk:Quoting out of context

Quote mining

I don't believe that quote mining and taking quotes out of context are the same thing. I think that quote mining is a pejorative term for looking for lots of quotes from your opponents to support your point of view rather than building an argument yourself. Philip J. Rayment 11:41, 21 April 2007 (EDT)

Agreed. My first draft was hasty, sloppy, and inaccurate. :-( --Ed Poor 11:47, 21 April 2007 (EDT)

Aren't first drafts supposed to be hasty, sloppy, and inaccurate. :-) Philip J. Rayment 11:54, 21 April 2007 (EDT)

'attempts to "use a person's words" against them'

Taking a quote out of context is not synonymous with attempting to use a person's words against them. You can do the latter without taking a quote out of context, and taking a quote out of context is usually (in my opinion) inadvertent (although possibly due to carelessness, ideologically blinkers, etc.), not something that you attempt to do. Philip J. Rayment 11:41, 21 April 2007 (EDT)

Agreed. My first draft was hasty, sloppy, and inaccurate. :-( --Ed Poor 11:47, 21 April 2007 (EDT)

Aren't first drafts supposed to be hasty, sloppy, and inaccurate. :-) Philip J. Rayment 11:54, 21 April 2007 (EDT)

I think quote mining is an example of taking quotations out of context, but I don't think we should use the phrase in this article, at least not in the lead, because it is not in general use outside of a narrow arena... and because that narrow arena is the locale for some fighting in this neighborhood. The phrase seems to have originated in the USENET group talk.origins, and is used almost exclusively by evolutionists as a name for what they say is a dishonest tactic widely used by creationists. Dpbsmith 11:56, 21 April 2007 (EDT)