What is the False Authority Fallacy? Also known as “Appeal to Unqualified Authority” or “Fallacious Appeal to Authority,” this fallacy occurs when someone presents a claim or argument and cites an individual or source that lacks expertise in the relevant area. This can include: How does the False Authority Fallacy work? Here are some examples […]
Fallacies: Fallacy of Quoting Out of Context
What is the Fallacy of Quoting Out of Context? Also known as “Contextomy,” this fallacy occurs when someone takes a quote from a larger text or conversation and presents it in isolation, ignoring the surrounding words, sentences, or paragraphs that provide essential context. This can lead to a distorted understanding of the original message. How […]
Fallacies: False Attribution Fallacy
What is the False Attribution Fallacy? Also known as “Fallacy of Misattribution,” this fallacy occurs when someone incorrectly attributes a statement, idea, or action to another person, group, or organization. This can be done intentionally or unintentionally, but it often has significant consequences for the person or entity being misattributed. How does the False Attribution […]
Fallacies: Fallacy of Division
What is the Fallacy of Division? Also known as “Fallacy of Decomposition,” this fallacy occurs when an arguer assumes that what is true for a whole must also be true for each part or component. In other words, they infer a conclusion about individual parts based solely on characteristics of the entire system. How does […]
Fallacies: Fallacy of Composition
What is the Fallacy of Composition? Also known as “Division Fallacy” or “Fallacy of Division,” this fallacy occurs when an arguer assumes that what is true for each part of something must also be true for the whole. In other words, they infer a conclusion about a complex system based solely on its individual components. […]
Fallacies: Etymological Fallacy
What is the Etymological Fallacy? Also known as “Etymological Error” or “Historical Definition Fallacy,” this fallacy occurs when an arguer assumes that a word’s current meaning is determined by its etymology (i.e., its origin and history). In other words, they imply that because a word once meant something in the past, it must still mean […]
Fallacies: Ecological Fallacy
What is the Ecological Fallacy? Also known as “Cross-Level Fallacy” or “Aggregate Bias,” this fallacy occurs when an arguer makes conclusions about individual-level phenomena based on aggregate or group-leveldata. This can lead to incorrect or misleading interpretations, as the relationships between variables at different levels of analysis (e.g., individuals vs. groups) may not beequivalent. How […]
Fallacies: Persuasive Definition Fallacy
What is the Persuasive Definition Fallacy? Also known as “Semantic Manipulation” or “Euphemistic Redefining,” this fallacy involves redefining a term in a way that influences people’s attitudes, opinions, or perceptions. By altering the meaning of a word or phrase, an arguer can make their argument more appealing or persuasive than it would be with its […]
Fallacies: Fallacy of Accent
What is the Fallacy of Accent? Also known as “Accent Fallacy” or “Emphasis Fallacy,” this fallacy involves manipulating the emphasis or tone of a sentence to change its meaning. By placing an accent on certain words or syllables, an arguer can make their statement appear more persuasive or convincing than it actually is. How does […]
Fallacies: Motte-and-Bailey Fallacy
The Motte-and-Bailey Fallacy is a fascinating and insidious type of argumentative trickery. It’s a rhetoricaltactic used to make an argument appear stronger than it actually is by employing a clever linguistic sleight ofhand. What is the Motte-and-Bailey Fallacy? The term “Motte-and-Bailey” originates from medieval fortifications, where a motte was a raised earthwork ormound, and a […]