Why do people say that an argument is moot, meaning not debatable, when...?

Question

the definition of moot itself is "to bring up for discussion or debate; subjected to discussion."?

Thanks Lisa...no wonder lawyers can charge so much for their services. ;-)

Answer 1

Indiana Frenchman is pretty right on with his answer.

In United States law, a matter is moot if further legal proceedings with regard to it can have no effect, or events have placed it beyond the reach of the law. Thereby the matter has been deprived of practical significance or rendered purely academic. This is different from the ordinary British meaning of "moot," which means "to raise an issue." The shift in usage was first observed in the United States.

So saying "it is a moot point" could mean it is subject to debate, or that it is without legal significance because it has been previously decided or settled. Odd since those meanings seem to be direct opposites of each other.

Isn't English a great language??

Answer 2

Moot Definition

Answer 3

This is an issue that has bothered me also, and my favorite source, the Oxford English dictionary, has been no help.

The Harper Dictionary of Contemporary Usage suggests that the meaning you mention is a corruption caused by law students using tems like "mooting a question" and "moot court" exercises, where a question that does not have a single good answer is brought up for discussion to train lawers in making good legal arguments. In law, a question usually has no single answer because it is a question that is new and has not been decided by a court yet, or a question that involves conflicts between several laws -- it's not an "undebatable" question. On the contrary, we lawyers consider it endlessly debatable. Still, it's possible non-lawyers made the jump from "a question with no obvious or known answer" to "a question about which there can be no discussion."

Answer 4

You're right, but it's more subtle. "Moot" describes a discussion that will have no effect. If the Congress debates whether to cancel war funding, then the war and the world could be literally affected by every word uttered. But if a grade ten class debates whether the congress should cut war funding, it is a moot discussion -- it exists outside of the ability to influence anything.

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Why do people say that an argument is moot, meaning not debatable, when...?
the definition of moot itself is "to bring up for discussion or debate; subjected to discussion."?

Answer 6

actually ....

“Moot” is a very old word related to “meeting,” specifically a meeting where serious matters are discussed. Oddly enough, a moot point can be a point worth discussing at a meeting (or in court)—an unresolved question—or it can be the opposite: a point already settled and not worth discussing further. At any rate, “mute point” is simply wrong, as is the less common “mood point.”

Answer 7

people argument moot meaning debatable when: https://tinyurl.im/e/why-do-people-say-that-an-argument-is-moot-meaning-not-debatable-when

Answer 8

It's because most people are too lazy to consult dictionaries. They use words like that because they think it makes them sound clever, without knowing what the word really means.