Every Logical Fallacy Explained in 11 Minutes
Summary
TLDRThe video script provides an extensive overview of various logical fallacies, explaining how they are used to undermine arguments. Examples include ad hominem attacks, hasty generalizations, red herrings, slippery slopes, and circular reasoning, among others. Each fallacy is defined and illustrated with a brief explanation, helping viewers understand how these flawed arguments can distort truth and logic in debates. The script serves as a guide to recognizing and avoiding these common logical errors.
Takeaways
- 👤 The ad hominem fallacy occurs when someone attacks a person rather than addressing the substance of their argument.
- 📊 Hasty generalization involves making a claim based on insufficient evidence.
- 🎯 A red herring fallacy distracts from the relevant issue by changing the subject.
- 😠 Tu quoque discredits an argument by attacking the opponent's behavior, accusing them of hypocrisy.
- ⛷️ The slippery slope fallacy suggests that one action will lead to a series of negative events without sufficient evidence.
- 🔍 Special pleading applies different standards without justification, exempting oneself from criticism.
- ❓ A loaded question contains an assumption that cannot be easily answered without appearing guilty.
- ⚖️ The false dilemma fallacy misrepresents an issue by offering only two choices when more options exist.
- 🏗️ A strawman fallacy occurs when an argument is misrepresented to make it easier to attack.
- 🔄 Circular reasoning assumes the conclusion in the premise, making the argument logically incoherent.
Q & A
What is an ad hominem fallacy?
-An ad hominem fallacy occurs when someone attempts to discredit an argument by attacking the person making the argument rather than addressing the substance of the argument itself.
What is a hasty generalization, and why is it problematic?
-A hasty generalization, also known as the overgeneralization fallacy, happens when a claim is made based on evidence that is too small. It's problematic because it leads to conclusions that are not supported by sufficient evidence.
Can you explain the red herring fallacy?
-A red herring fallacy involves introducing something irrelevant or distracting to divert attention from the original issue, thereby misleading or distracting from the relevant question.
What is the tu quoque fallacy?
-The tu quoque fallacy discredits an opponent's argument by attacking their personal behavior or actions as inconsistent with their argument, rather than addressing the argument itself. It essentially accuses the opponent of hypocrisy.
What is a slippery slope fallacy?
-In a slippery slope fallacy, a course of action is rejected because it is believed, often without sufficient evidence, that it will lead to a chain reaction resulting in undesirable outcomes.
How does the false dilemma fallacy misrepresent an issue?
-The false dilemma fallacy misrepresents an issue by offering only two options when more exist or by presenting the options as mutually exclusive when they are not. This oversimplifies the situation.
What is the special pleading fallacy?
-The special pleading fallacy occurs when someone applies standards, principles, or rules to others while making themselves or certain circumstances exempt from those same standards without providing adequate justification.
Can you describe what a loaded question is?
-A loaded question is a question that contains an assumption within it, making it difficult to answer without accepting the assumption as true.
What is circular reasoning, and why is it considered a fallacy?
-Circular reasoning is a fallacy where the argument assumes the very thing it is trying to prove as true. Instead of offering evidence, the argument simply repeats the conclusion, making it logically incoherent.
How does the appeal to authority fallacy work?
-The appeal to authority fallacy occurs when an argument is deemed true simply because an influential or authoritative figure holds that position, rather than because of evidence or sound reasoning supporting the position.
Outlines
🗣️ Common Logical Fallacies: An Overview
This paragraph provides a comprehensive overview of various logical fallacies, including ad hominem, hasty generalization, red herring, tu quoque, slippery slope, special pleading, loaded question, false dilemma, strawman, circular reasoning, appeal to authority, appeal to nature, composition, division, affirming the consequent, anecdotal, appeal to emotion, burden of proof, no true Scotsman, Texas sharpshooter, suppressed correlative, personal incredulity, ambiguity, genetic, middle ground, affirming a disjunct, appeal to tradition, sunk cost, appeal to ignorance, continuum, equivocation, faulty analogy, denying the antecedent, false cause, definist, ecological, etymological, quoting out of context, false equivalence, historian's, inflation of conflict, incomplete comparison, ludic, moralistic, Nirvana, proof by assertion, cherry-picking, psychologist's, reification, retrospective determinism, thought-terminating cliché, single cause, appeal to the stone, ignoratio elenchi, circumstantial ad hominem, tone policing, association, appeal to accomplishment, courtier's reply, appeal to consequences, appeal to novelty, and bolism. Each fallacy is briefly explained, highlighting how they mislead or distort arguments.
📚 More Logical Fallacies: Detailed Explanations
This paragraph continues the discussion on logical fallacies, covering chronological snobbery, 'I'm entitled to my opinion,' two wrongs make a right, vacuous truth, and the fallacy fallacy. It explains how these fallacies work and why they are problematic in logical reasoning. The paragraph ends with a prompt to check out a recommended video on YouTube for further learning.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Ad Hominem Fallacy
💡Hasty Generalization
💡Red Herring Fallacy
💡Slippery Slope Fallacy
💡Loaded Question
💡False Dilemma Fallacy
💡Circular Reasoning
💡Appeal to Authority Fallacy
💡Anecdotal Fallacy
💡Cherry-Picking
Highlights
Ad hominem fallacy occurs when someone attacks the person instead of the argument.
Hasty generalization happens when a conclusion is drawn from insufficient evidence.
Red herring fallacy is used to distract from the main issue.
Tu quoque fallacy discredits an argument by accusing hypocrisy.
Slippery slope fallacy argues that a small step will lead to a chain of related events.
Special pleading applies standards to others while exempting oneself without justification.
Loaded question contains an assumption that biases the response.
False dilemma fallacy presents only two options when more exist.
Strawman fallacy involves misrepresenting an argument to easily refute it.
Circular reasoning assumes the conclusion in the premise without evidence.
Appeal to authority fallacy uses an influential figure's opinion as evidence.
Appeal to nature fallacy argues something is good because it is natural.
Composition fallacy infers that what is true for a part is true for the whole.
Division fallacy assumes what is true for the whole is true for its parts.
Affirming the consequent incorrectly infers a cause from an effect.
Anecdotal fallacy uses personal experience instead of sound evidence.
Appeal to emotion manipulates feelings to win an argument.
Burden of proof fallacy shifts the obligation to disprove a claim onto others.
No true Scotsman fallacy excludes counterexamples by redefining criteria.
Texas sharpshooter fallacy cherry-picks data to fit a conclusion.
Suppressed correlative redefines terms to make one option impossible.
Personal incredulity fallacy dismisses something as untrue because it's hard to understand.
Ambiguity fallacy uses unclear phrases with multiple meanings.
Genetic fallacy judges an argument based on its origin rather than its content.
Middle ground fallacy assumes the truth is always a compromise between two extremes.
Affirming a disjunct incorrectly assumes only one of two possibilities can be true.
Appeal to tradition fallacy argues something is better because it is traditional.
Sunk cost fallacy continues an endeavor based on past investments.
Appeal to ignorance asserts a claim is true because it has not been proven false.
Continuum fallacy argues no distinct states exist because of gradual differences.
Equivocation fallacy uses an ambiguous term in different senses within an argument.
Faulty analogy assumes similarity in one aspect implies similarity in others.
Denying the antecedent incorrectly infers the inverse from an original statement.
False cause fallacy assumes a causal relationship based on correlation alone.
Definist fallacy defines terms to make one's position easier to defend.
Ecological fallacy assumes what is true for a group is true for individuals.
Etymological fallacy assumes the original meaning of a word is its true meaning.
Quoting out of context distorts intended meaning by removing surrounding material.
False equivalence draws a flawed comparison between two subjects.
Historian's fallacy judges past decisions by present knowledge and standards.
Inflation of conflict exaggerates disagreement to invalidate claims.
Incomplete comparison presents an assertion without sufficient basis for refutation.
Ludic fallacy mistakes uncertainty in real life for the uncertainty in games.
Moralistic fallacy makes statements about reality based on how things should be.
Nirvana fallacy dismisses realistic solutions by comparing them to perfect ones.
Proof by assertion repeats a proposition until opposition ceases.
Cherry-picking selects data that supports a position while ignoring contradictory evidence.
Psychologist's fallacy assumes subjective experience reflects true nature of an event.
Reification fallacy treats abstract concepts as concrete events.
Retrospective determinism assumes an event was bound to happen due to circumstances.
Thought-terminating cliché stops an argument with a cliché instead of a point.
Fallacy of the single cause assumes a single cause for an outcome that may have multiple causes.
Appeal to the stone dismisses an argument as absurd without further justification.
Ignoratio elenchi presents a conclusion that fails to address the issue in question.
Circumstantial ad hominem discredits an argument by citing the arguer's personal interest.
Tone policing focuses on the emotion behind a message to discredit it.
Association fallacy asserts properties of one thing apply to another due to group association.
Appeal to accomplishment uses someone's achievements to validate their argument.
Courtier's reply dismisses criticism by claiming the critic lacks knowledge or credentials.
Appeal to consequences concludes a hypothesis is true or false based on its desirable or undesirable outcomes.
Appeal to novelty claims something is better solely because it is new.
Bulverism asserts an argument is flawed due to the arguer's identity.
Chronological snobbery considers modern ideas superior just because they are modern.
I'm entitled to my opinion fallacy discredits opposition by claiming a right to an opinion.
Two wrongs make a right counters an allegation with a similar allegation.
Vacuous truth asserts a claim that is technically true but meaningless.
Fallacy fallacy concludes an argument's conclusion is false because it contains a fallacy.
Transcripts
ad homonym fallacy the ad homonym
fallacy happens when someone attempts to
discredit someone's argument with
personal attacks rather than the
substance of the argument itself Hasty
generalization Hasty generalization also
known as the overgeneralization fallacy
happens when making a claim based on
evidence that is just too small red
herring fallacy a red herring is
something that misleads or distracts
from a relevant or important question it
might be used to change the subject to
quo fallacy to quo is a technique that
tends to discredit the opponent's
argument by attacking the opponent's own
personal behavior and actions as being
inconsistent with their argument
therefore accusing hypocrisy instead of
countering the actual argument slippery
slope fallacy in a slippery slope
argument a course of action is rejected
because with little or no evidence one
insists that it will lead to a chain
reaction resulting in an undesirable end
or ends special pleading fallacy special
pleading happens when applying standards
principles or rules to other people or
circumstances es while making oneself or
certain circumstances exempt from the
same critical criteria without providing
adequate justification loaded question a
loaded question is a question that
already contains an assumption false
dilemma fallacy the false dilemma
fallacy also called the black and white
fallacy occurs when someone
misrepresents an issue by offering only
two options when more exist or by
presenting the options as mutually
exclusive when they are not stamman
fallacy a stamman fallacy happens when
one rebuts an argument by misconstruing
it circular reasoning the circular
reasoning fallacy is an argument that
assumes the very thing it is trying to
prove is true instead of offering
evidence it simply repeats the
conclusion rendering the argument
logically incoherent appeal to Authority
fallacy it is a form of argument in
which the mere fact that an influential
figure holds a certain position is used
as evidence that the position itself is
correct appeal to Nature fallacy it's an
argument in which it is proposed that a
thing is good because it is natural or
bad because it is unnatural natural it's
a fallacy because the unstated primary
premise what is natural is good is
typically irrelevant and an opinion
instead of a fact composition fallacy it
arises when one infers that something is
true of the whole from the fact that it
is true of some part of the whole
division fallacy the division fallacy
occurs when one reasons that something
that is true for a whole must also be
true for all or some of its parts
affirming the consequent affirming the
consequent is the fallacy of taking a
true conditional statement such as if
the lamp were broken then the room would
be dark under certain assumptions like
it is nighttime and the windows are
closed and invalidly inferring its
Converse the room is dark so the lamp
must be broken anecdotal fallacy the
anecdotal fallacy occurs when people use
their limited personal experience to
draw sweeping conclusions about a given
topic appeal to emotion fallacy it's a
technique characterized by the
manipulation of the other person's
emotions in order to win an argument
especially in the absence of factual
evidence burden of proof fallacy the
burden of proof Li lies with the one who
makes a claim not the one who denies it
the burden of proof fallacy happens when
a person tries to remove their need to
provide proof for many reasons no true
Scotsman fallacy it's an attempt to
defend a generalization of a certain
group by excluding any counter examples
for not being pure enough Texas
Sharpshooter fallacy the Texas
Sharpshooter fallacy takes its name from
the metaphor of a gunman shooting and
then drawing targets Around The Bullet
Hole clusters to make it look like he
hit the target it illustrates how people
first figure out what their conclusion
is and then go looking for data that
supports it ignoring differences and
Randomness suppressed correlative the
attempt to redefine one of two mutually
exclusive options so that one
alternative encompasses the other thus
making one alternative impossible
something like I need to know if we
should stop for lunch or not you are
either hungry or not hungry which is it
if being hungry means being able to eat
I am always hungry personal incredulity
fallacy it's committed when the arguer
presumes that whatever is true must be
easy to understand or to imagine
ambiguity fallacy it happens when an
unclear phrase with multiple definitions
is used within the argument therefore it
does not support the conclusion genetic
fallacy the genetic fallacy is the act
of rejecting or accepting an argument
solely on the basis of its origin rather
than its content Middle Ground fallacy
it's the fallacy that the truth is
always in the middle of two opposites
affirming a disjunct the affirming a
disjunct fallacy occurs when given an
either or scenario you wrongly assume
that if one statement or outcome is true
the other one cannot be true
appeal to tradition it happens when we
ignore the evidence that we should
change because we have been doing
something for a long time sunk cost
fallacy the sunk cost fallacy is our
tendency to continue with something
we've invested money effort or time into
even if the current costs outweigh the
benefits appeal to ignorance it happens
when someone asserts that a proposition
is true because it has not yet been
proven false or that a proposition is
false because it has not yet been proven
true Continuum fallacy it's the argument
that two states are conditions cannot be
considered distinct or do not exist at
all because between them there exists a
Continuum of States equivocation the
equivocation fallacy refers to the use
of an ambiguous word or phrase in more
than one sense within the same argument
faulty analogy a faulty analogy is
saying that two things are alike in
other ways just because they are alike
in one way denying the antecedent
denying the anteed infers the inverse
from an original statement it's
something like if you are a ski
instructor then you have a job you are
not a ski instructor therefore you have
no job false cause a false cause fallacy
occurs when someone incorrectly assumes
that something causes something else
without enough proof usually using just
a correlation as proof definest fallacy
it happens when one defines a term in
such a way that makes one's position
much easier to defend ecological fallacy
ecological fallacies assume what is true
for a population is true for the
individual members of that population
eological fallacy eological fallacy is
the faulty argument that the true
meaning of a word is its oldest or
original meaning quoting out of context
it's a fallacy in which a passage from a
quote is removed from its surrounding
matter in such a way as to distort its
intended meaning context may be omitted
intentionally or accidentally false
equivalence it's a fallacy in which an
equivalence is drawn between two
subjects based on flawed or false
reasoning historians fallacy the
historian's fallacy occurs when one
assumes that decision makers in the past
viewed events from the same perspective
and had the same information as those
subsequently analyzing the decision
inflation of conflict it's the error of
exaggerating the amount of disagreement
in a field in order to invalidate claims
in that field incomplete comparison it's
a misleading argument popular in
advertising since the assertion is
incomplete it cannot be refuted ludic
fallacy it's a term used to describe how
people mistake the kind of uncertainty
found in games for the kind of
uncertainty found in real life for
example organized competitive fighting
trains the athlete to focus on the game
and in order not to dissipate his
concentration to ignore the possibility
of what is not specifically Allowed by
the rules moralistic fallacy making
statements about what is on the basis of
claims about what ought to be in
violation of fact value distinction
Nirvana fallacy comparing a realistic
solution with an idealized one and
discounting or even dismissing the
realistic solution as a result of
comparing it to a perfect world or
impossible standard proof by assertion
it's a fallacy in which a proposition is
repeatedly restated regardless of
contradiction and reputation the
proposition can sometimes be repeated
until any challenges or opposition cease
letting the proponent assert it as fact
solely due to a lack of Challengers
cherry-picking it's the act of pointing
to individual cases or data that seem to
confirm a particular position while
ignoring a significant portion of
related and similar cases or data that
may contradict that position
psychologists fallacy it's a fallacy
that occurs when an observer assumes
that his or her subjective experience
reflects the true nature of an event
reification fallacy it happens when an
abstract concept is treated as if it
were a concrete real event something
like saying that Evolution selects which
traits are passed on to Future
Generations while evolution is not a
conscious entity with Will retrospective
determinism it's the thought that
because something happened under some
circumstances it was therefore bound to
happen due to those circumstances
thought terminating cliche it's a form
of loaded language often passing as Folk
wisdom with the function of stopping an
argument from proceeding further ending
the debate with a cliche rather than a
point fallacy of the single cause it
occurs when it is assumed that there is
a single simple cause of an outcome when
in reality it may have been caused by a
number of small causes appeal to the
stone it happens when a dismissal is
made by stating or reiterating that the
argument is absurd without providing
further argumentation ignoro Eleni
ignoro Eleni also called missing the
point is the fallacy of presenting an
argument that may or may not be
logically valid and sound but whose
conclusion fails to address the issue in
question circumstantial ad homonym
stating that the arguer personal
interest in advancing a conclusion means
that their conclusion is wrong tone
policing an ad homonym fallacy that
focuses on the emotion behind a message
rather than the message itself as a
discrediting tactic Association fallacy
it's the fallacy that asserts that
properties of one thing must also be
properties of another thing if both
things belong to the same group appeal
to accomplishment it's kind of an appeal
to Authority fallacy it happens when an
assert is deemed true or false based on
the accomplishments of the proposer
corders reply when a criticism is
dismissed by claiming that the critic
lacks sufficient knowledge credentials
or training to credibly comment on the
subject matter appeal to consequences
it's an argument that concludes a
hypothesis to be either true or false
based on whether the premise leads to
desirable or undesirable consequences
appeal to novelty it happens when a
proposal is claimed to be Superior or
better solely because it is new or
modern bolism it is the assump
assumption and assertion that an
argument is flawed or false because of
the arguer identity chronological
snobbery chronological snobbery
considers modern ideas Superior to those
from earlier ages just because they are
modern it's a form of appeal to novelty
I'm entitled to my opinion fallacy when
a person discredits any opposition by
claiming that they are entitled to their
opinion instead of logically analyzing
said opposition two wrongs make a right
it's an argument in which an allegation
of wrongdoing is countered with a
similar allegation vacuous truth a claim
that is technically true but meaningless
such as claiming that no mobile phones
in the room are on when there are no
mobile phones in the room fallacy
fallacy it's saying that when an
argument contains a fallacy its
conclusion must be false if you like
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