dicto simpliciter

[From] a maxim, simply

Notes

I.e. "From a rule without exception." Short for a dicto simpliciter, the a often being dropped by confusion with the English indefinite article. A dicto simpliciter occurs when an acceptable exception is ignored or eliminated. For instance, the appropriateness of using opiates is dependent on the presence of extreme pain. To justify the recreational use of opiates by referring to a cancer patient or to justify arresting said cancer patient by comparing him to the recreational user would be a dicto simpliciter.