English Explanatory Dictionary

Zohnerism

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The use of a true fact to lead a scientifically and mathematically ignorant public to a false conclusion.

Word forms

Zohnerism

Etymology

From Zohner + -ism. In 1997, Nathan Zohner, a 14-year-old student at Eagle Rock Junior High School in Idaho Falls, Idaho, gathered 43 votes (out of 50 ninth-graders surveyed) to ban a chemical that proved to be water. Zohner received the first prize at Greater Idaho Falls Science Fair for analysis of the results of his survey. In recognition of his experiment, journalist James K. Glassman coined the term "Zohnerism" to refer to "the use of a true fact to lead a scientifically and mathematically ignorant public to a false conclusion".

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