Clik here to view.
Ad Hominem: tool of teens and politicians
I remember fighting with my sister, and when things started going badly, I resorted to the ever-useful “Oh yeah–well, you’re stupid!” There–that’ll show HER. My own children began using that brilliant...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“Soft tyranny”
Recently a commentator labelled someone’s ad baculum fallacy as “soft tyranny.” This intrigued me so much, I decided to look a little deeper. Ad baculum is another fallacy of distraction, like ad...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Distraction: keep ‘em off-topic
The story goes like this: fugitive peasants being chased by authorities would drag a bunch of fish across their trail as they escaped, in an effort to divert the attention of the tracking dogs. Another...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cartoon nonsense: non sequitur begs a question
Pooh and Piglet As fallacies go, non sequiturs are pretty well-known. This fallacy, which literally means “does not follow,” leaps from the premise to the conclusion without any substantiation. Thus...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A, not non-A
When two college kids in a coffee shop begin discussing philosophy, you know it’s going to be a long night. I remember doing this, but it wasn’t over coffee; our conversations always took place over...
View ArticleClik here to view.
More Errors in Reasoning
The fallacies of Composition and Division are funny things. Just when you think you have them figured out, they sneak up on you again, and you find you’re committing one of them. Composition is the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lies, fallacies, and other election year nonsense
To catalogue all the lies being tossed around during this ugly election campaign season would be a daunting task. No one is immune; lying and exaggerations are common to all–presidential and...
View ArticleGod wins
Rob Bell’s book Love Wins has drawn much attention in the Christian church today. I wasn’t too interested in reading it until my youngest son returned from college and told me his theology class had...
View Article
