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.
or
Search title, description, date, and categories.

3
answers
If there is a guilt by association fallacy, is there also a praise by association fallacy as well?

Here is an example from a article headline I saw:  P1: Florida has the lowest Covid-19 case rate in the country.  p2: Ron DeSantis did this without vaccine mandates, without mask mandates in school and with no restrictions on businesse...

asked on Sunday, Nov 07, 2021 08:48:55 AM by Jason Mathias
2
answers
Suicide debate

Person 1: My friend has been feeling suicidal so she is going to see a psychiatrist. Person 2: Risk of suicide increases after consulting a psychiatrist. Person 1: Of course, suicidal people would be more likely to go to a psychiatrist, just as you ...

asked on Saturday, Nov 06, 2021 03:44:53 PM by Daniel
3
answers
Activist Logical Fallacy?

"If you tolerate, you are complicit." Math wise, it goes like this: A: Person A is morally against Position Y. B: Person B 'tolerates' Position Y. (Tolerate in this instance meaning that Person B doesn't support Position Y but doesn't act out agains...

asked on Friday, Nov 05, 2021 11:14:44 PM by Douglas Arndell
1
answers
Comment on Saint Mary of Egypt....

Here is an article on Saint Mary of Egypt , who is said to have lived sometime between the 3rd and 6th centuries.  And here is what a person wrote in the comment section. Let's see how people respond to this comment --, ie Mary may not have ex...

asked on Friday, Nov 05, 2021 07:41:43 AM by Shawn
1
answers
What type of logical fallacy is this?

"Because Kozol's forte is the detailed description of the school, the classroom, the work of the teacher and its effect on the student, we do not get from him any large discussion of why this resegregation has occurred."   What fallacy am I d...

asked on Wednesday, Nov 03, 2021 09:27:38 PM by student
2
answers
Mocking the position

This is something I've come across many times, though I'm not sure it's a fallacy or just an unscrupulous debate tactic. I don't really think it's an appeal to ridicule , as that involves exaggerating an argument beyond reason. Basically, instead ...

asked on Tuesday, Nov 02, 2021 05:46:11 PM by Mr. Brinstar
2
answers
Is this nirvana fallacy?

Person 1: Working in fast food restaurants will soon be obsolete and be replaced with robots Person 2: That may be true, but we still need humans in the kitchen in case the food quality is not good Person 1: People get food poisoned and get served...

asked on Tuesday, Nov 02, 2021 09:41:26 AM by Jacob
3
answers
Jonathan Swift

Is there a fallacy in this statement? “Words are but wind, and learning is nothing but words; ergo, learning is nothing but wind.” -- A TALE OF A TUB by Jonathan Swift

asked on Monday, Nov 01, 2021 06:11:46 PM by Shawn
0
answers
LOGICAL FALLACIES EXAMPLES - WHICH ONE IS IT?

Identify the type of logical fallacy present in each statement. 1. Erik Kidlat’s run for city council was successful, therefore he is a successful politician despite his four failed runs for mayor. 2. Gudrun said she believes that the house ...

asked on Monday, Nov 01, 2021 05:27:39 PM by zh
5
answers
Bertrand Russell and his tea pot analology

Let's see if readers can detect any logical fallacies in Bertrand Russell's thinking below. Note, this is not a debate on the existence or non-existence of God, but a focus on what Russell is saying here: In an article titled "Is There a God?" comm...

asked on Sunday, Oct 31, 2021 10:50:48 AM by Shawn
Loading...