Questions tagged [fallacies]
concerns logical fallacies, which are errors in the logic or reasoning of an argument that result in a misconception or presumption. The fallacies tag is also appropriate for analysis of tactics that may be applied deliberately to deceive. For example, if tactical omissions in an argument motivate a member of the audience to try to fill in omitted elements, then this can be portrayed as a straw man attack against the creator of the argument.
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What is the name of this logical fallacy: Why should your god be the one?
Even if there is a deity, why should your god be the one?
This is a common response from the nonbelievers. I assert that it is a logical fallacy, not because the statement in itself is totally ...
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The more you know, the more you don't know
What is wrong with the following argument? The more you
study, the more you learn. The more you learn, the more you know.
The more you know, the more you forget. The more you forget, the
less you know....
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1answer
208 views
Why is the anecdotal fallacy a fallacy?
Why is the anecdotal fallacy a fallacy?
I want to know why personal testimony is important in a court of law but in a debate it is considered invalid?
And why is the claim of seeing a spirit met ...
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Why do there exist “logical fallacies” that are not really consistent logical fallacies?
Why do there exist "logical fallacies" that are not really consistent logical fallacies?
By logical fallacy, consider e.g. ad hominem.
By consistent logical fallacy I refer to a type of logical ...
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1answer
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Name of “then you also cannot” pseudo argument
There are two parties, P1 and P2.
There are two behaviors B1 and B2, which both parties agree are ethically undesirable or at least questionable.
P1 consciously refrains from B1, but not from B2, ...
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1answer
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Fallacy of affirming the consequent or of denying the antecedent? [closed]
If patient has condition X, then we would see symptoms A, B and C. We
do see symptoms, A, B and C. So the patient must have condition X.
Is it the fallacy of affirming the consequent or the fallacy ...
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Why is it logical to invoke an uncreated universe with no intelligent design?
How can an atheist invoke an uncreated universe with no intelligent design and assert its logical consistency? Why is it logical?
By moving the goal post to aliens seeded earth from another universe,...
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What's the name of the logical fallacy where a debater extends a statement far beyond the original statement to make it true?
Suppose that someone initially states that "fossil fuel consumption due to mobile phone usage is similar to that of private transportation, so if you think we should switch to electric/bike to fight ...
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Is it a fallacy to say “A = B therefore more A = more B?”
For example, 70% nominal tax rate leads to more growth, therefore, 100% nominal tax rate must lead to the most growth.
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Is there any rational justification to the counterargument “I refuse to answer your question on the basis that it is a hypothetical question?”
This is a common contention that comes up in heated debates. It seems to me like it qualifies as a non sequitur and a red herring. Possibly a different fallacy that I am unaware of.
I would like to ...
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Logical notation
I'm currently debating with someone whether something could be considered possible because we have no evidence that it's impossible. He made the statement that: "All things are possible which are not ...
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1answer
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A Problem With Kripke's Rule-Following Paradox Example?
It seems that there is a problem with the example that Saul Kripke gives in "Wittgenstein on Rules and Private Language" to explain Wittgenstein's rule-following paradox. I'm not asking about the ...
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1answer
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What is the name of the “undeserved profits” fallacy?
I see this type of inference made a lot, for example in the context of distributional justice:
A makes an investment. He thinks this investment was a rational decision, until he learns that B also ...
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3answers
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Is anything not proven impossible therefore possible?
Is it a truism that, except for that which is proven impossible, everything is or must be considered possible? If so, why? It seems to me to be an argument from ignorance to say that just because we ...
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1answer
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How would you describe it when someone uses the hypothetical to undermine an idea?
Here is the scenario. I'm working with a different technology for programming and I present it to my co-worker who is not up-to-speed on the new technology. He replies that there may be some ...
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1answer
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Help with logical fallacy
There’s a fallacy presented when someone makes the argument that more of A on some continuum is bad(good) but rejects the idea that less of A is good(bad) thus reducing to either the current status is ...
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Where is the fallacy here?
Where is the fallacy here:
whatever is natural is not unnatural
whatever is unnatural is not natural
the phenomenon of cats being born into this world is natural
the phenomenon of rabbits being born ...
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1answer
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Is there a fallacy
I want to know if there is a fallacy in this type of conversation.
CA=Country A and HRA=Human Right Association
Example:
CA: it is now gonna be forbidden in CA for feminist to express their ...
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4answers
333 views
How does philosophy not fall into the confirmation bias?
Daoism and Buddhism in Eastern philosophies emphasize adaptation and flexibility, and critique rationality. They have different frameworks to understand the same phenomenon, and different goals for ...
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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 ...
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What is the logical fallacy for checking the wrong law?
This is not a real story (as far as I'm aware), just a context to ask a question about logical fallacies:
Susan hunted wolves with her rifle from the bed of a pickup truck while her friend drove her. ...
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I have trouble understanding this fallacy: “If A, then B. Therefore if not-B, then not-A.”
About "If A, then B. Therefore, if not-B, then not-A":
From what I understand the conclusion is wrong, because it is not said that A is a sufficient condition for B, (and there may be other ...
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Which fallacy is “if not P, not Q. P. Therefore Q”?
“If you don’t go to the doctor tomorrow, you won’t get better. You will go to the doctor tomorrow. So, you will get better.”
What kind of fallacy does this argument fall under? I have a suspicion it’...
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1answer
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What is the fallacy regarding knowing someone who is X therefore you know about topics regarding X?
What is the name of the fallacy that goes along the lines of:
My brother is a doctor so I know about medicine.
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What is the fallacy when someone refuses to be specific
A Muslim apologist was debating two Atheists on DW channel in Arabic, the host asked him whether he agrees with "executing atheist apostates".
The Muslim apologist knows that apostates are to be ...
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What's a name for the fallacy of concluding something must be based on truth because it is successful?
I have noticed a type of fallacious reasoning that conflates truth and success. For example, a company might assume their predictive models are correct because these models make the company more money....
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Is this discussion fallacious?
I heard people having this kind of discussion. I don't know why it sounded a bit off, but I want to know if it was just me or if there is a fallacy here somewhere.
Person 1 = X
Person 2 = Y
X: ...
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What fallacy is assuming something is the case because of past events
I'm sure this is a simple question. What I am referring to is disbelieving someone on Day 20 because they have lied every day previous to Day 20.
Another example is the boy who cried wolf. The 50th ...
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3answers
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Affirming the Consequent Reasoning You See in Everyday Life
What are common examples of affirming the consequent reasoning you see in everyday life?
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Fallacy identification
I have been seeing a lot of “if you_____then you____ .” fallacy in communication lately. Examples would be “If you don’t support “Black Life’s Matter then you hate black people” “If you didn’t vote ...
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What fallacy, paradox or cognitive bias is this? [closed]
You do an advertisement, "Lowest price in town", but a vast majority of people now suspect that your prices are not the lowest. They now start hunting around for lower prices than yours and they ...
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1answer
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What fallacy is this?
I am curious about what fallacy the following kind of reasoning represents.
Let's say we are questioning if something is true. I would argue that in order for us to question if something is true we ...
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What kind of fallacy is this (resembles false cause)?
An African leader dispatches troops to the border of a neighboring country. A critic who happens to be a white U.S. citizen says, "That man's a militaristic bully!"
One of the African leaders' ...
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What is the name of this logical fallacy
What is the name of the fallacy: "If you buy XXX, which is expensive, then you would also buy YYY, because if you spent so much on XXX then you would spend as much on YYY."
The fallacy implies that ...
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3answers
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Is this an example of Denying the Antecedent?
Is this an example of Denying the Antecedent?
Harry is not an inexperienced driver, and thus must not be irrational, seeing as all inexperienced drivers are irrational.
At first, I thought it was ...
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2answers
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Is this an example of Undistributed Middle?
Is this an example of Undistributed Middle?
John is not a teenager, since all teenagers are impulsive, and John is not impulsive.
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Is this an example of False Cause?
Is this an example of False Cause?
When the small boy said his prayers at night, he did not wet the bed. However, he forgot to pray one evening and he wet the bed. This must be the reason why this ...
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7answers
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Is a selfish action that helps others worthy of praise?
TL:DR
Is a selfish man who only does stuff for his own benefit, worthy of praise if his actions just so happen to help others? (And am I wrong in assuming someone always attempts to gain something?).
...
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What's the fallacy of relevance here?
To know absolutely that there is no God one must have infinite knowledge. But to have infinite knowledge one would have to be God. it is impossible to be God and an atheist at the same time. Atheists ...
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1answer
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Common name of “overgeneralization” logical fallacy
There is a fallacy (I believe) that I see committed often that goes something like this (super contrived example):
X does not care if Joe stole Bob's car. X doesn't even know Joe or Bob.
Y states ...
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Is it scientific or a logical error to claim something is true because I can't think of another explanation
The situation
Let's say, someone is wrong on the internet. She says
The forums on that newspaper article is closed. Apparently the newspaper want to suppress public debate.
I reply:
That's ...
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4answers
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Does this fallacy have a name?
Consider the following argument for a claim X:
Present proof of statement X', which is similar to but different from X (and doesn‘t imply it).
Conclude that X holds.
Example:
Polls show that 80% ...
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1answer
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What's the fallacy when someone asks a question and then answers it themselves?
Example:
"Why didn't you compete in the annual sports event? It was because you knew that you'd lose anyway!"
Or,
"How did he run that fast? he must've taken steroids"
It falls under unwarranted ...
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6answers
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What's the name of the “God creates Evil” fallacy?
I see this fallacy everywhere, from anti-Christians to Socialists/Communists. It goes like this: "if God exists, then why did He make all this Evil?" Another example: "the baker, by baking bread and ...
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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 ...
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2answers
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Does an informal logical fallacy require deception?
Bo Bennett's criteria distinguishing a logical fallacy from a pseudo-logical fallacy has three parts. The third part is:
It must be deceptive in that it often fools the average adult.
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Is wanting certainty a fallacy (or a pseudo fallacy)?
Dcleve wrote the following as an aside in a question about indirect realism:
Our WANTING certainty – is irrelevant. Worse, it is an explicit fallacy!
I liked that question and up-voted it, but I ...
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1answer
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Voting for the Lesser of Evils = What cognitive bias or fallacy? [closed]
One could ague that voting for the lesser of evils is nothing more than simple manipulation. The ruling class makes sure there are just two viable political parties, then it recruits a really creepy ...
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1answer
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What were the main sophistical methods according to Plato?
In her paper Modern Moral Philosophy, G. E. M. Anscombe used the phrase "sophistical methods" and "his procedures are certainly sophistical" (page 3 of the linked file).
I assume this meant something ...
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What fallacy is this? “People were wrong before, so they're likely wrong now too”
What's the name for this logical fallacy:
"Research has shown that X."
"That doesn't matter. In the past, people were convinced that Y but it was then shown that they were wrong. In a ...
