Questions tagged [fallacies]
Concerns formal (syllogistic) fallacies, informal (rhetorical) fallacies, tactical misdirection, and errors in logic or reasoning more broadly put.
777
questions
14
votes
6
answers
712
views
Are all fallacies created equal?
That is, are some fallacies considered worse than others, or does each fallacy have the same weight? For example, are formal fallacies considered "worse" than informal fallacies or vice versa? For ...
2
votes
2
answers
212
views
Logical fallacy: Wealthy person who takes public office can't be corrupt
“If Frenkel is only interested in money why would he leave a position
that pays him 20 to 30 times the salary to be Bank of Israel
Governor?” Lapid said in a fiery interview with Israel Radio’s ...
- 121
2
votes
1
answer
205
views
What fallacy relates to a question based on an untrue conditional? (e.g., handling the poop of my pet unicorn)
Suppose I am sincerely concerned and asked this question:
I should keep a pink unicorn in my back yard, but what if it poops in my garden?
The characteristic of this question is that the "second ...
- 207
1
vote
3
answers
206
views
Fallacy: shifting the point of the conversation
A: "Biologically men and women are different, and therefore it shouldn't surprise they have different salary on average".
B: "That is obvious. But you cannot derive from such a difference in terms of ...
- 127
-1
votes
2
answers
1k
views
"Fallacy of failure to comprehend"? [closed]
Is there a name for the logical fallacy of assuming that if one can't personally understand something, it must not be valid?
For example, I've heard people refuting scientific evidence on the ...
- 129
5
votes
5
answers
1k
views
What fallacy is this: "The poor worry. The rich don't worry. If you want to be rich, don't worry"
If one were to reason that most poor people worry about money and most UBER-wealthy people don't worry about money, and they want to be UBER-wealthy, than they should simply not worry about money...
...
- 161
5
votes
7
answers
3k
views
Is it an informal fallacy to call an argument ridiculous without pointing out the flaw?
I think it is one kind of informal fallacy to dismiss a logical argument by just calling it ridiculous without actually showing how the argument is invalid. At first, I thought it to be ad hominem as ...
user3225
7
votes
2
answers
562
views
is "2+3=6, then 2+3+1=7" an example of the fallacy fallacy?
Is "if 2+3=6, then 2+3+1=7" an example of a fallacy fallacy or argumentum ad logicam?
I believe it is an example of the fallacy fallacy, but I'm not able to show it. I only think it is a fallacy ...
- 195
5
votes
5
answers
12k
views
How does one differentiate between premise and proposition?
I find it difficult to differentiate between premises and propositions.
Given these statements:
"If men evolved from apes then there wouldn't be any ape nowadays."
"There are apes ...
- 195
6
votes
2
answers
871
views
Is the argument 'you cannot claim that "God doesn't exist" because you cannot demonstrate this inexistence' an argumentum ad ignorantiam?
I'm able to tell this is an example of argumentum ad ignorantiam,
"I can't prove the existence of god, therefore, god doesn't exist."
But what about the sentence
"One should never claim that "God ...
- 195
1
vote
2
answers
225
views
Need help to identify fallacy and/or bias
Never posted on this stack site before, so I hope I'm not being rude.
I would like to know what bias, fallacy, or combination thereof is involved in the case of treating a (probably rotating) group ...
- 11
0
votes
2
answers
866
views
Which logical fallacy relies on the credibility of academic professors?
You can trust that academics know the truth because they have tenure and are free to think for themselves.
Question: What percentage actually have tenure?
Does having tenure mean you're right about ...
- 27
23
votes
7
answers
17k
views
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-...
- 540
3
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Does the ad hominem fallacy only apply when used against individuals, or is it also a fallacy when used against organizations?
I know that the strict translation of ad hominem is against the person, but still I wonder if the logical fallacy named ad hominem is equally applicable when used against organizations. For example, ...
- 31
3
votes
2
answers
365
views
What logical fallacy is made in this statement?
Consider this text:
Researchers conducted two different types of test on a large group of people. After that, the researchers subjected the people to situations like Z and noted their response R. ...
- 325
4
votes
9
answers
4k
views
Is there a name for an argument like "A implies B; B implies A; therefore A"?
Is there a name for the following false syllogism?
A implies B
and
B implies A
therefore
A
For example: If unicorns exist then they have horns, by the definition of a unicorn. But in order for ...
- 611
11
votes
4
answers
1k
views
What is the fallacy in comparing evolution to a fairy tale?
I found the following statement on this Creationist site.
If a fair maiden kisses a frog which instantly changes into a handsome
prince we would call it a fairy tale. But if the frog takes 40 ...
- 855
0
votes
1
answer
4k
views
What is the best way to learn logical fallacies? [closed]
I want to learn logic better, I know a few fallacies but I've read no books mostly just stuff on the Internet. I see them everywhere, but sometimes I don't know what the fallacy is called. I am a ...
- 289
3
votes
4
answers
625
views
Identifying a specific fallacy in the "Primitive Amazon" meme
So basically I came through this fallacious argument/image:
.
Which translates into:
Without stress
Without bombs
Without beggars
Without prisons
Without junk food
Without external ...
- 165
9
votes
4
answers
15k
views
Is "if A then B; B therefore A" a subset of the "post hoc" fallacy?
Recently, I read the following comment:
If you aren't pissing someone off some of the time, you're not doing anything very useful or interesting.
The context was that some people were pissed off ...
1
vote
2
answers
192
views
What, if any, common fallacy would relate to an appeal to the importance or gravity of a situation?
Is there any common fallacy that might fit the following 'syllogism'?
X is important, or urgent
Therefore, X
Here's an example of a conversation where this could come up:
It's conceivable that our ...
- 121
7
votes
2
answers
319
views
What is fallacious about an argument that "I know X well, so she is right"?
I often hear from media personalities that they are right about a theory or assertion merely by associating themselves with someone or something.
For example:
"I know Mr. X very well (for years) and ...
- 220
15
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Was Plato using strawmen in his dialogues?
In Plato's Dialogues, he often would put words into the mouths of two opposing points-of-view, while inserting a third voice, often initially presented as taking a position between the two viewpoints, ...
- 1,042
8
votes
2
answers
253
views
What is the term for an argument where denial of the proposition can be used as evidence of the proposition's truthfulness?
I've seen this used enough times that there's probably a formal name for it, but I don't know what it is. For example, from Catch-22:
"I think I'm going crazy."
"Only a sane person is capable ...
- 540
-1
votes
2
answers
778
views
What is an 'argumentum ad baculum'? [closed]
I've seen philosophical arguments descriped as 'argumentum ad baculum', but never quite understood what the criticism is trying to indicate. As best I can tell, it's using force or the threat of force ...
- 2,009
8
votes
1
answer
3k
views
What is an 'argumentum ad lapidem'? [closed]
I've seen philosophical arguments descriped as 'argumentum ad lapidem', but never quite understood what the criticism is trying to indicate. As best I can tell, it's a dismissal of an argument with ...
- 2,009
7
votes
2
answers
3k
views
What is a "straw man" argument? [closed]
What is a "straw man" argument?
Assuming an interlocutor is utilizing such an argument against you, what are some techniques for countering it?
What motivations might lie behind a disputant using a ...
- 9,482