Logical Fallacy

A logical fallacy is an error in reasoning that weakens or invalidates an argument.

Fallacies are common errors in reasoning that undermine the logic of an argument. They can be illegitimate arguments or irrelevant points, often identified because they lack evidence supporting their claim. Logical fallacies are like tricks or illusions of thought, often used sneakily by politicians and the media to fool people.

I want to study this because I want to think more clearly in the pursuit of Truth. See also Cognitive Bias.

Recognizing fallacies isn’t enough, I need to overcome them. Someone extremely good at counterexamples on the spot is Destiny.

• Use another fallacy to illustrate how ridiculous the conclusion is
• Be careful of being accused of “you can’t make that comparison, it’s not the same thing”, a Strawman Fallacy or Reduction to absurdity
• Don’t make the mistake of Correlation vs Causation Fallacy, your example might be correlation

Example

“I don’t wear a mask and I am still fine, therefore I don’t need a mask”

Response: There are people who spend their whole lives drunk driving without consequences. Is this how you evaluate a situation?

The best way to catch someone using a fallacy isn’t to call them out directly. Be aware, set traps, and let them look like fools.

I was talking with the SPCOM223 teacher about this. The point of pointing out logical fallacies is when one attempts a logical argument and uses a fallacy. An Argument does not only consist of logic, there is also Ethos (appeal to authority) and Pathos (appeal to emotions). Presenting these as logical argument is wrong.

Sources:

• https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/logic_in_argumentative_writing/fallacies.html
• https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/common-logical-fallacies
• https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/logicalfallacies/search
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fallacies
• https://markmanson.net/logical-fallacies#begging-the-question

The teacher recommended this 14-min video, I never actually watched it.

Fallacies

Covered in PHIL145:

• Loaded Question Fallacy
• Ambiguity Fallacy
• False Cause Fallacy
• The Middle Ground Fallacy
• Genetic Fallacy
• Burden of Proof Fallacy
• The Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy
• Personal Incredulity Fallacy
• The False Dilemma Fallacy
• Anecdotal Evidence Fallacy
• Begging the Question
• Strawman Fallacy
• Tu Quoque
• Appeal to Authority Fallacy
• Ad Hominem
• Fallacy Fallacy

list from #fallacy
sort title

Other:

• No True Scotsman Fallacy
• Alphabet Soup
• Argument from Hearsay
• Correlation vs Causation Fallacy (Magical Thinking)
• The Bandwagon Fallacy (Appeal to Common Belief)
• Hasty Generalization Fallacy
• The Slothful Induction Fallacy
• Gambler’s Fallacy reasoning that, in a situation of pure random chance, the outcome can be affected by previous outcomes (see Statistics)
• Red Herring Fallacy
• Lump of Labour Fallacy