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Questions tagged [fallacies]

Concerns formal (syllogistic) fallacies, informal (rhetorical) fallacies, tactical misdirection, and errors in logic or reasoning more broadly put.

The term 'fallacy' may refer to:

  • Formal (syllogistic) fallacies: errors in logical validity rooted in the structure of formal arguments
  • Informal (rhetorical) fallacies: common mistakes or misunderstandings that people make when reasoning
  • Tactical misdirection: the intention misuse of logic or logical structures to present false or misleading impressions
  • Errors in logic or reasoning more broadly put

Technically speaking, the term 'fallacy' is restricted to the first (formal) usage, which differs from he others because it is a function of the underlying structure of logic, independent of the truth or falsehood of given premises. But colloquially the term has been expanded to mean poor reasoning of any sort.

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Logical fallacy: X is bad, Y is worse, thus X is not bad

I have heard this type of argument too many times: You are criticising X using well researched facts and arguments. Your interlocutor, states that Y is much worse with equally well researched facts and arguments. X and Y are linked in a general…
Sardathrion - against SE abuse
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Why do they say I am committing a fallacy when I am just insulting someone?

On the internet, one is often accused of committing the so-called 'ad hominem'-fallacy, which, according to Sikipedia, is defined as a fallacious argumentative strategy whereby genuine discussion of the topic at hand is avoided by instead attacking…
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Fallacy by Sherlock Holmes 'Eliminate the impossible, and what remains must be the truth'

In The Sign of Four, Holmes asks Watson: "How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?" This may be valid in principle, but it certainly carries the risk of a…
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Is circular reasoning always a fallacy?

Suppose the following dialogue: ... "I accept only one notion of land property. Namely, 'I am doing my stuff here, therefore I am here". "But this means," he responded, "you can break into any place and stay there, using this rule." "There is…
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Is it a fallacy if someone claims they need an explanation for every word of your argument to the point where they don't understand common terms?

Is it a fallacy if someone claims they need an explanation for every word of your argument to the point where they don't understand common terms? For example, suppose someone said, "If a dog bites people, then it's a vicious dog." Then someone…
dogperson
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Isn't the notion that everything will occur in an infinite timeline an example of the gambler's fallacy?

I've seen a few different formulations of this, but the most famous is "monkeys on a typewriter" - that if you put a team of monkeys on a typewriter, given infinite time, they will eventually produce the works of Shakespeare, and indeed every text…
Lou
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Is "I cannot imagine a mechanism for X to happen, so X can never happen" a named logical fallacy?

I have encountered this reasoning quite frequently: Somebody posits the hypothesis that an event X can happpen. A recent example I encountered was "vinegar and salt in the boiling water make eggs easier to peel afterwards", but I have seen many…
rumtscho
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Does the no true Scotsman fallacy apply to anti Stalinist etc. communism?

The internet is awash with claims that anyone arguing that Stalinist Russia / Maoism wasn't communist is committing the no true Scotsman / ad hoc rescue fallacy. However, I suspect that few of its proponents understand what they are saying. if…
user34105
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If the Bible contains circular reasoning, does it discredit it?

If the Bible contains circular reasoning, does it discredit it? One of the reasons why I wonder about this is because in most academic/professional fields circular reasoning would discredit the research/answer/ect... Does this apply to religion as…
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What type of rhetorical device is the offering of a source which is really long and not specifying what part of the source is relevant?

I'm encountering a frequent recurrence of a rhetorical device that seems to me fallacious but I can't figure out what it's called. When making an argument, the person does the following: Makes a claim that is unrealistic. Provides a source which…
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What fallacy dismisses problems by presenting "bigger" problems?

Wasn't really sure how to phrase this, but I'm thinking of an instance in which someone diminishes a problem by presenting one of larger scope - as a rather shoddy example, "x political problem in America doesn't matter because half the world's…
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Is Yoda committing a fallacy?

I've been debating with a hard core Star Wars friend who loves repeating Yoda's "Do or do not, there is no try" knowledge. I tried to explain that the DO (B) and DO NOT (C), are end results, you have to attempt to reach them by TRYING (A). You can't…
Beach Bum
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What's so fallacious about the Slippery Slope Fallacy?

When you look at the world, I think it's a rather non-controversial statement that a good percentage, if not a majority, of social problems are caused by people making choices based solely on short-term outcomes--"if X then Y, and Y is desirable,…
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What is this logical fallacy? (Nothing new under the sun?)

It has been two decades since I took a reason and argument course in college. I am rusty on my command of logical fallacies. With that preface, I have been trying to locate a logical fallacy that describes an obfuscation/neutralization strategy I…
user50027
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What do you call the fallacy of thinking that some action A will guarantee some outcome B, when in reality B depends on multiple other conditions?

Example: Dentist: “You have multiple cavities.” Patient: “That’s ridiculous! You always told me that brushing my teeth prevents cavities. I brush my teeth every night. Therefore, I can’t possibly have cavities.” Dentist: “It is true that brushing…
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