Қолды қимылдату арқылы мағынасыз әрекет жасау

Term for attempting to be seen as effective
the idiomatic term
Hand waving (with various spellings) is a pejorative label for attempting to be seen as effective – in word, reasoning, or deed – while actually doing nothing effective or substantial. It is often applied to debating techniques that involve fallacies, misdirection and the glossing over of details. It is also used academically to indicate unproven claims and skipped steps in proofs (sometimes intentionally, as in lectures and instructional materials), with some specific meanings in particular fields, including literary criticism, speculative fiction, mathematics, logic, science and engineering. The term can additionally be used in work situations, when attempts are made to display productivity or assure accountability without actually resulting in them. The term can also be used as a self admission of, and suggestion to defer discussion about, an allegedly unimportant weakness in one's own argument's evidence, to forestall an opponent dwelling on it. In debate competition, certain cases of this form of hand waving may be explicitly permitted. Hand waving is an idiomatic metaphor, derived in part from the use of excessive gesticulation, perceived as unproductive, distracting or nervous, in communication or other effort. The term also evokes the sleight of hand distraction techniques of stage magic,

Actual hand waving motions may be used either by a speaker to indicate a desire to avoid going into details, "Hand waving" is mostly used otherwise, e. g. "she had one hand waving, the other on the rail", but is found in some dictionaries in this form. and the early 19th century United States as a fully compounded verb. It is unclear when the figurative usage arose. The Oxford Dictionary of English lists it as "extended use", or to persuade. In an unplanned debate or presentation, an off the cuff essay, or an informal discussion, the proponent may have little or no time for preparation. Participants in such exchanges may use the term in reference to their own arguments, in the same sense as an author admitting a minor plot flaw When the proponents use the term, they are conceding that they know an ancillary point of or intermediate step in their arguments is poorly supported; they are suggesting that such details are not important and do not affect their key arguments or conclusions, and that the hand waved details should be excluded from current consideration. Examples include when they believe a statement is true but cannot prove it at that time, and when the sources upon which they are relying conflict in minor ways: "I'm hand waving over the exact statistics here, but they all show at least a 20% increase, so let's move on". In formal debate competition, certain forms of hand waving may sometimes be explicitly permitted. In policy debate, the concept of fiat allows a team to pursue a line a reasoning based on a scenario that is not presently true, if a judge is satisfied that the case has been that it could become true.

By extension, handwaving is used in literary, film and other media criticism of speculative fiction to refer to a plot device (e. g., a scientific discovery, a political development, or rules governing the behavior of a fictional creature) that is left unexplained or sloppily explained because it is convenient to the story, with the implication that the writer is aware of the logical weakness but hopes the audience will not notice or will suspend disbelief regarding such a macguffin, deus ex machina, continuity error or plot hole. The fictional material "handwavium" (a. k. a. "unobtainium", among other humorous names) is sometimes referred to in situations where the plot requires access to a substance of great value and properties that cannot be explained by real world science, but is convenient to solving, or central to creating, a problem for the characters in the story. Perhaps the best known example is the spice melange, a fictional drug with supernatural properties, in Frank Herbert's far future science fantasy epic, Dune. Hand waving has come to be used in role playing games to describe actions and conversations that are quickly glossed over, rather than acted out in full according to the rules. This may be done to keep from bogging down the play of the game with time consuming but minor details.

In mathematics, and disciplines in which mathematics plays a major role, hand waving refers to either absence of formal proof or methods that do not meet mathematical rigor. In practice, it often involves the use of unrepresentative examples, unjustified assumptions, key omissions and faulty logic, and while these may be useful in expository papers and seminar presentations, they ultimately fall short of the standard of proof needed to establish a result. Proof by intimidation is one form of hand waving. The mathematical profession tends to be receptive to informed critiques from any listener, and a claimant to a new result is expected to be able to answer any such question with a logical argument, up to a full proof. Should a speaker apparently fail to give such an answer, anyone in the audience who can supply the needed demonstration may sometimes upstage the speaker. The objector in such a case might receive some measure credit for the theorem the hand waver presented. The opposite of hand waving in mathematics (and related fields) is sometimes called nose following, which refers to the unimaginative development of a narrow line of reasoning that—while correct—can also end up making the subject dry and uninteresting. The rationale for this culture of hyper critical scrutiny is suggested by a quote of G. H. Hardy: "[A mathematician's] subject is the most curious of all—there is none in which truth plays such odd pranks. It has the most elaborate and the most fascinating technique, and gives unrivalled openings for the display of sheer professional skill."

Hand waving arguments in engineering and other applied sciences often include order of magnitude estimates and dimensional analysis, especially in the use of Fermi problems in physics and engineering education. However, competent, well intentioned researchers and professors also rely on explicitly declared hand waving when, given a limited time, a large result must be shown and minor technical details cannot be given much attention—e. g., "it can be shown that is an even number", as an intermediary step in reaching a conclusion. Another example of hand waving can be found in the oversimplifications of the geologic representations commonly used in groundwater models created in support of land development applications, especially those involving metal mining and aggregate extraction. Back of the envelope calculations are approximate ways to get an answer by over simplification, and are comparable to hand waving in this sense.

Hand waving has been used to describe work related situations where productivity is seemingly displayed, but deliverables are not produced, especially in the context of intentional engagement in busy work or pretend work, vague claims of overwork or complications, impenetrably buzzword laden rationalizations for delays or otherwise poor performance, and plausible sounding but weak excuse making and attention deflecting tactics. In employment situations, as in political discourse, a hand waving effort may seek to shift blame to other parties. Another use is in reference to fiscal problems, such as an inability to adequately explain accounting discrepancies or an avoidance of accountability for missing funds.