Look at it this way, if fallacy was in fact a legitimate argument, then all of these would be as well:
Bandwagon fallacy
Two premises:
Everyone is doing it
The majority is typically right
If I do it, I will be in the majority and will be right (for the most part)
When phrased like this, few people would say that they'd fall for such a stupid thing - but it's still a remarkably easy trap to fall into, precisely because people don't realise that it's a bandwagon that they're jumping on. In a manner similar to the Matthew effect[wp], something that gains attention (legitimately or otherwise) will attract more interest. This interest generates more interest, like an internet meme circulating around internet forums, and before you know it everyone is on the bandwagon shouting "yee haw!!" While this is merely just how information tends to propagate, the bandwagon argument truly becomes fallacious when people use it as an excuse to say that an issue is important or that the circulating opinion must be correct.
Bandwagon argument - RationalWiki
appeal to the populous
appeal to common practice
appeal to tradition
appeal to common belief
appeal to novelty (newer is better)
(see more here:
Full alphabetic list of Fallacies
Appeal to authority and Appeal to the populous:
Examples: Evolution is true because everyone believes it. Truth is not made on the basis of the popular vote. OR Evolution is true because the majority of scientists are evolutionists: This is an appeal to authority, and just because a scientist believes it does not make evolution 100% correct. For example scientists believed in spontaneous generation for many years, or blood letting for example. So the appeal to authority is a fallacy. Something is true based on its scientific data, not on how many believe it.
Cut off the nose to spite the face:
cut off your nose to spite your face - definition in the American English Dictionary - Cambridge Dictionaries Online (US)
Word Salad: a bunch of random words, often unintelligible.
Text Wall: , or wall of text: no paragraphs, and or a large body of text with many grammatical errors.
Cognitive Dissonance-
Cognitive Dissonance-
This is the feeling of uncomfortable tension which comes from holding two conflicting thoughts in the mind at the same time.
Dissonance increases with:
- The importance of the subject to us.
- How strongly the dissonant thoughts conflict.
- Our inability to rationalize and explain away the conflict.
Above quote from:
Cognitive Dissonance
Illegitimate Totality Transfer-taking all the synonyms of a lexicon on a greek work and applying it to one passage
.aka
the amplified Bible.
What does Illegitimate Totality Transfer mean? This is a big word in biblical interpretation with an easy definition. Illegitimate Totality Transfer simply means to illegitimately ( wrongly) transfer a words total possible meaning, with all its variations and nuances, and forcing them all into a particular context.
For example, if one were to do a word study on the Greek word phile, one would find that it could mean affection, friendship, love, or kiss. The context must decide. The illegitimate totality transfer occurs when one forces all of these meanings into one passage, without consideration of which nuance best fits the context. This is a common interpretive fallacy.[1]
One particular version of bible is famous for doing this fallacy, the Amplified Bible. In more solid bibles such as the NASB, EVS, NKJV, & KJV the translators do not entrap themselves in this fallacy. Instead they follow correct biblical hermeneutical
[1]
Illegitimate Totality Transfer - Empowered By Christ
Above quote in entirety from the website above.
Changing the bars- Removing the bars is not changing the bars. For example if I have a burden of proof where the burden is too great and I decide to strike it from the record. Its not changing the bars. But if someone asks for evidence or questions a certain fact of a view, and they then modify the view to avoid the specific criticism, and not address it. This is changing the Bars.
also known as appeal to the populous, or or appeal to common belief:
Appeal to Common Belief: If others believe it to be true, it must be true.
Appeal to Common Belief
Gamblers Fallacy chance can be predicted
Gambler's Fallacy
Ad hominem and abusive Ad hominem:
- A lawyer attacking a defendants character rather than addressing or questioning based on the case, e.g., in a case of theft pointing out the defendants level of poverty.
- A politician degrading another politician during a political campaign when asked about a specific policy, e.g. Well, I think we need to look at the other candidates failures regarding this topic.
- Responding in any debate with an attack on ones personal beliefs.
- Using someones known background or beliefs to respond in a way such as Of course you would say that, because you believe _____.
- Stating that someones argument is incorrect because of her religious beliefs, such as, Perhaps if you werent part of the religious group that you are, you would see this quite differently.
- Demeaning a teachers decision on grading by insulting her intelligence, e.g., Well, its not like you graduated from the best school, so I can see why you wouldnt know how to properly grade a writing assignment.
- Using racial slurs to demean a person of another race in an argument about a crime involving people of different racial backgrounds, such as, People like you dont understand what its like to be of my race so you blatantly have no right to make an argument about this situation.
- Generalizing views of a political party as an insulting argument to an individual who is a member of a different party, e.g., Well, its pretty obvious that your political party doesnt know how to be fiscally responsible, so I wouldnt expect you to, either.
- Stating that ones age precludes him from being able to make an intelligent or meaningful argument, such as, You are clearly just too young to understand.
- Asserting that someones geographical location prevents him from being able to make a clear judgment, such as, Youve only ever lived in an urban environment. The issues of those in other areas is clearly beyond you.
- Using gender as a means to devalue an argument from an opposing gender, e.g., This is a female issue. As a man, how can you have an opinion about this?
- Stating that the ethnicity of the opposing individual keeps him from formulating a valuable opinion, e.g., You are from the United States, so you could never understand what its like to live in a country like that.
- Using someones educational level as a means to exploit and degrade the opposers argument, such as, You didnt even finish high school - how could you possibly know about this?
- Relying on socioeconomic status as a means to undermine an opposing individuals opinion, such as, You wouldnt understand since you have never had to struggle."
above examples from :
Ad Hominem Examples
do you recognize any of these fallacies?:
Cognitive dissidence
The mental trauma regarding contradiction in your mind, and the real world, and your bodies psychological response to it.-gl
False Arguments from Ignorance/personal incredulity:
Example: Quantum Mechanics is confusing, therefore its untrue.
This is a common misconception regarding a lot of things, However:
"Suppose you fail to turn in your homework in math class and you get an "F" for the day? Could you go to the teacher and claim she is being unfair because you might very well know the homework answers but she just cannot see them in your head. You claim that when she gave you an "F" it was an Argument From Ignorance, or from her personal incredulity!.
Just because one does not mentally see the picture of what was said, does not mean that it is untrue this is the fallacy of personal incredulity, or an argument from ignorance.
Equivocation: "evolution" has six meanings. (see notes on Hovind)
Evolutionists often commit the fallacy of equivocation on the word
evolution. This word has a number of meanings. Evolution can mean
change in a general sense, but it can also refer to the idea that
organisms share a common ancestor. Either meaning is perfectly
legitimate, but the two meanings should not be conflated within an
argument. Many evolutionists seem to think that by demonstrating
evolution in the sense of change, that it proves evolution in the
sense of common descent.
Fallacy of equivocation
You might hear them say something like, Creationists are wrong
because we can see evolution happening all the time. Organisms are
constantly changing and adapting to their environment.
Consider for example the English word bow this could mean many different things depending on its context. One meaning is a weapon, another is the front of a ship, still another is the decoration on a gift, and the fourth is to bend at the waist. Not only are the definitions radically different, but it can also be used as a noun and as a verb.- Douglas hamp - the first six days chapter 5
Non Sequitur: "Doesn't follow." Notice that many
times in debates when a particular perspective has no contributing
premises anymore, or supporting facts, they will resort to a certain
amount of word fillers (time wasters.) In order to fill in the time
gap during the debate, where they lack real factual support, or have
exhausted theirs. They typically have used terminology not as a means of
relaying true information, but as a means of committing a fallacy of an
appeal to authority of sorts. I do this too, but it is dishonest in
debate. It is best to define terms implicitly and not as a result of
showing off vocabulary to distinguish ones authority of lack of
authority. Simply knowing terminology does not in fact prove ones
authority. It may simply mean that one may like reading dictionaries
in his spare time. These fallacies may overlap with a Red Herring,
Dependent on if the person is willfully doing this or not.
The Fallacy of Begging the question, more commonly known as "circular
reason," or arbitrary logic:
When I was reading a book on logic sold by Ken Ham ministries it said this:
"In order to determine the truth value of a statement, it is necessary
to go outside the statement." - Introductory Logic- by D. J. Wilson,
and J. B. Nance - 2002 by mars hill textbooks.
An example of this is: Evolution is true because it is scientific
It begs the question as to what legitimate science is. Especially in relation to Evolution. In other words it presupposes evolution is scientific without laying out the argument why it is scientific.
Circular and arbitrary arguments are not useful because anyone who
denies the conclusion would also deny the premise (since the
conclusion is essentially the same as the premise).
So, the argument,
Evolution must be true because it is a fact,
-while technically valid, is fallacious because the arguer has merely assumed
what he is trying to prove.
again we must go OUTSIDE the statement to declare it true.
Arbitrary assumptions are not to be used
in logical reasoning because we could equally well assume the exact
opposite. It would be just as legitimate to argue,
Evolution cannot
be true because it is false.
Josh McDowell once pointed out that using the Bible to quote the Bible is thought of as circular reasoning by many. But McDowell responds who ever told you the Bible was one book. Many assume because it is abridged, that is is one book. The Bible is not just one book; it's actually sixty-six books written by 40 authors, on two different continents, in three different languages, by 40 authors, and over a period of 1600 years.
Using the Bible to prove the Bible is not Circular reasoning, as long as the quotes come from separate books of the Bible, and preferably separate authors.
It should also be noted that there are certain special cases where
circular reasoning is unavoidable and not necessarily fallacious.
Remember that begging the question is not invalid; it is considered
fallacious because it is arbitrary. But what if it were not arbitrary?
There are some situations where the conclusion of an argument must be
assumed at the outset, but is not arbitrary.2 Here is an example:
Without laws of logic, we could not make an argument.
We can make an argument.
Therefore, there must be laws of logic.