Devil's Advocate

For the 1997 film, see The Devil's Advocate.

In the old process of canonization by the Roman Catholic Church, the Promoter of the Faith (Latin Promotor Fidei), or Devil's Advocate (Latin advocatus diaboli), was a canon lawyer appointed by the Church to argue against the canonization of the proposed candidate.

The title advocatus diaboli, which is unofficial, would perhaps be more accurately translated into English as the Devil's lawyer.

The term has come to mean anyone who argues a position that he or she does not necessarily believe in, simply for the sake of arguing; or to present a counterargument for a position he or she does believe in to another debater, for the purpose of testing the quality of the counterargument and identifying weaknesses in his or her own argument.

External links

• Article from the 1911 Catholic Encyclopedia (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12454a.htm)

es:Abogado del diablo fi:Paholaisen asianajaja sv:Djävulens advokat