Moving the goalposts is a term used to describe a manipulative tactic in which the rules or conditions of a situation are changed in order to make it easier to achieve a desired outcome. This tactic is often used in debates or negotiations, where one party may change the criteria for success in order to avoid conceding a point or to gain an advantage. The term moving the goalposts comes from the world of sports, where it refers to changing the location of the goalposts during a game in order to make it harder for the opposing team to score. In a similar way, when someone moves the goalposts in a debate or negotiation, they are changing the rules in order to make it harder for the other party to succeed. Moving the goalposts can take many forms, from changing the definition of success to adding new conditions or requirements. For example, if two people are debating the merits of a particular policy and one person argues that it would be too expensive to implement, the other person might respond by saying that the benefits would outweigh the costs. If the first person then changes the criteria for success to include not just cost-effectiveness but also feasibility, they are guilty of moving the goalposts. Overall, moving the goalposts is a manipulative tactic that can be used to avoid conceding a point or to gain an advantage. By changing the rules of the game, the person who is moving the goalposts is able to achieve their desired outcome, regardless of the original conditions.
cognitive bias, logical fallacy, manipulation, debates, negotiations
Moving the goalposts is a cognitive bias and logical fallacy in which the criteria for success are changed after the fact, such that any outcome short of the new criteria is judged to be a failure. It is a way of manipulating the rules of the game to ensure that the desired outcome is achieved. This type of cognitive bias is often used to criticize or invalidate the counter-argument of another party, by shifting the criteria of evaluation to ensure that the desired outcome is reached, regardless of the original conditions. Moving the goalposts is a manipulative and deceptive strategy that is used to avoid accountability and to achieve a desired outcome.
Cognitive bias, logical fallacy, shifting criteria, accountability, manipulative.
CITATION : "Jessica Adams. 'Moving The Goalposts.' Design+Encyclopedia. https://design-encyclopedia.com/?E=213964 (Accessed on May 27, 2025)"
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