Ask Your Questions About Logical Fallacies

Welcome! This is the place to ask the community of experts and other fallacyophites (I made up that word) if someone has a committed a fallacy or not. This is a great way to settle a dispute!


Dr. Bo's Criteria for Logical Fallacies:

  • It must be an error in reasoning not a factual error.
  • It must be commonly applied to an argument either in the form of the argument or in the interpretation of the argument.
  • It must be deceptive in that it often fools the average adult.
Therefore, we will define a logical fallacy as a concept within argumentation that commonly leads to an error in reasoning due to the deceptive nature of its presentation. Logical fallacies can comprise fallacious arguments that contain one or more non-factual errors in their form or deceptive arguments that often lead to fallacious reasoning in their evaluation.
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Making assumptions about the cognitive capacities of others

There is a class of logical fallacies involving the illegitimate attribution of rational ability, comprehension, or belief to others. I believe this sort of fallacy has a familiar name in the literature, but I've forgotten what it is. It is somewhat ...

asked on Tuesday, Dec 10, 2019 11:15:45 AM by Dr. Beach
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What types of fallacies are these?

1. amanda, i saw you having breakfast with senator durbin. incidentally, how long have you two been having an affair? 2. president obama wants young people not to use drugs. the president has no right to tell us we cant use drugs. when he was at harv...

asked on Monday, Dec 09, 2019 09:38:59 PM by athena
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What Fallacy would this be?

(Insert Name), would you give the public an apology for lying about what you said?

asked on Thursday, Dec 05, 2019 11:51:53 AM by Connor
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Why worry about SEVERE FINES/DEATH SENTENCE if you follow the rules?

(0) Why worry about privacy if you have nothing to hide - (1) Why worry about diseases/vaccines when you are clean? (2) Why worry about free speech when you have nothing to say (3) Why worry about politics when you are not going to vote anyway (4) Wh...

asked on Thursday, Nov 28, 2019 11:38:44 AM by boniaditya
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Appeal to authority?

I'm thinking this is a version of appeal to authority but I'm wondering if there is a more specific logical fallacy. "Here is a link to a relatively short essay by X a published and respected climate scientist". The scientist is in fact nei...

asked on Sunday, Nov 24, 2019 12:44:52 AM by Paul Mackey
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Never-Ending Chain of Questionable Reasoning

I've been dealing with this problem where I contemplate things and can't prove a point, so my mind resorts to saying: "Well, you may not have the answer now, BUT you will get the answer that will prove this point in the future!" When I ques...

asked on Friday, Nov 22, 2019 10:11:55 PM by Josh
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Is "pulling the race card" in this situation a valid example of Ad hominem (circumstantial)?

https://twitter.com/GrittSauce/status/1150035651758346240 To say that the reason the police officers stopped you is because they racially profiled you?

asked on Tuesday, Nov 19, 2019 09:22:04 AM by JoJo
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What kind of fallacy? Negative hypothesis?

I sense there is a fallacy here, but I can't figure it out: My Toyota was parked illegally and it was ticketed. This is unfair ticketing. If it had been a Honda, it would not have been ticketed.

asked on Sunday, Nov 17, 2019 03:21:23 PM by H.
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Are moral values circular ??

If I say I value sentience as one of my fundamental values of life does that make my argument circular when someone asks me why do you value sentience? Well because I just do ? Does that make my argument circular and invalid ?

asked on Sunday, Nov 17, 2019 12:47:24 AM by Ferbee
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This seems an invalid syllogism, is it? Life begins at conception...Abortion is murder...therefore Murder is wrong.

This seems an invalid syllogism, is it? Life begins at conception...Abortion is murder...therefore Murder is wrong.

asked on Saturday, Nov 16, 2019 01:00:06 PM by Daniel Pugh
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