What it is
Demanding new evidence once the original demand has been met.
In the wild
Fine, you proved that, but now prove this too.
How to answer it
Fix the standard in advance and ask what result would count as settling it.
Distraction and distortion
Moving the goalposts
Also called Raising the bar
In depth
Origin and naming
A sporting metaphor: in football and hockey the goalposts fix what counts as a score. To 'move the goalposts' is to change the standard mid-game so a good shot no longer counts. The image passed from sports reporting into general argument in the late twentieth century.
More places it shows up
A manager doubts the new hire can handle clients; after a flawless quarter of client work, the new test is whether she can train others to do it.
A skeptic demands one peer-reviewed study on a supplement; shown three, he asks why none ran for longer than five years.
A parent tells a teenager she can go out once her grades improve; when they do, the new condition is that her room must stay clean for a month.
A regulator asks a bank to raise its capital buffer; when the bank complies, the regulator hints real confidence would require a full public audit too.
How to spot it
- Notice when meeting the stated standard produces a new standard instead of agreement.
- Notice when 'what would change your mind?' gets no fixed answer.
- Notice when each concession is greeted by 'that's nice, but what about...'.