The Definist Fallacy is a type of logical error that occurs when someone assumes that because a term or concept can be defined, it must therefore have a clear and precise meaning. This fallacy involves mistaking definability for clarity or precision. Example: “Murder is defined as the premeditated killing of one human being by another. […]

The Suppressed Correlative Fallacy is a type of logical error that occurs when someone presents a correlation between two events or variables, but ignores or downplays other correlated factors. This fallacy involves selectively presenting only one side of the relationship, while suppressing or ignoring other important correlations. Example: “Studies have shown that drinking moderate amounts […]

The Continuum Fallacy is a type of logical error that occurs when someone assumes that because there are no clear boundaries or distinctions between two extremes, one extreme must gradually blend into the other. This fallacy involves ignoring the possibility that there might be distinct categories or thresholds, even if they cannot be precisely defined. […]

The Argument to Moderation Fallacy is a type of logical error that occurs when someone assumes that a moderate or middle position between two extremes must be true, simply because it seems more reasonable or appealing. This fallacy involves ignoring the possibility that one extreme might be closer to the truth, or that there are […]

The Modal Scope Fallacy is a type of logical error that occurs when someone misinterprets the scope of a modal operator (e.g., “it is possible,” “it is necessary”) in a sentence or argument. This fallacy involves ignoring or misunderstanding the way modal operators interact with other elements in a sentence. Example: “It is possible for […]

In this example, the premise states an actual fact about the weather, but the conclusion drawn is a modal statement about possibility. This is a fallacy because the mere fact that something is happening does not imply that it was always possible or necessary. Formal Representation: R (Premise: It is raining outside)∴ ◇R (Fallacious Conclusion: […]

The Fallacy of the Undistributed Middle is a type of logical error that occurs when someone mistakenly assumes that two groups or categories are related simply because they share a common characteristic. This fallacy involves ignoring the fact that the shared characteristic may not be distributed equally among all members of each group. Example: “All […]

The Negative Conclusion from Affirmative Premises is a type of logical error that occurs when someone mistakenly draws a negative conclusion (e.g., “not all x are y”) from premises that only provide positive information (e.g., “all x are y” or “some x are y”). Example: “All employees who work on weekends receive overtime pay.” (Premise […]

The Illicit Minor is a type of logical error that occurs when someone mistakenly uses a specific case or instance as the minor premise in an argument, but then draws a conclusion that applies to all cases. Example: “All mammals are warm-blooded.” (Major premise)“The lion is a mammal and lives in the savannah.” (Minor premise)“Therefore, […]

The Illicit Major is a type of logical error that occurs when someone mistakenly uses a universal statement (all) as the major premise in an argument, but then draws a conclusion that only applies to some or one specific case. Example: “All humans are mortal.” (Major premise)“Socrates was human.” (Minor premise)“Therefore, Socrates is the only […]