Helpful Football-Referee "Flag On The Argument" Memes

Is there one for excessive use of logical fallacy claims? Some people seem to think everyone else’s argument has a logical fallacy in it.

Why the personal insult towards me? I did n’t say anything about you in my post. I wasn’t even thinking of you.

[Mark_Smith]

Is there one for excessive use of logical fallacy claims? Some people seem to think everyone else’s argument has a logical fallacy in it.

I would say there ought to be a penalty for inappropriate fallacy claims—that is, someone claims a fallacy where none exists. Godwin’s Law (whoever mentions Hitler automatically loses the argument) is often used to suppress very legitimate arguments is a great example. We ought to be able to mention Mr. Schicklgruber and learn from his bad example, no?

But really, it’s worth noting that basic logical fallacies are pretty common, especially the variants of the genetic fallacy and the slippery slope fallacy. My personal take is that we need more people pointing out bad reasoning, not less, even if from time to time they make mistakes. 150 years of no logic instruction in primary and secondary schools has left a mark, to put it mildly.

[Jim]

Mark_Smith wrote:

Is there one for excessive use of logical fallacy claims? Some people seem to think everyone else’s argument has a logical fallacy in it.

and then joke that “no offense was intended”? Because if you do, that is rude.

[Bert Perry]

Mark_Smith wrote:

Is there one for excessive use of logical fallacy claims? Some people seem to think everyone else’s argument has a logical fallacy in it.

I would say there ought to be a penalty for inappropriate fallacy claims—that is, someone claims a fallacy where none exists. Godwin’s Law (whoever mentions Hitler automatically loses the argument) is often used to suppress very legitimate arguments is a great example. We ought to be able to mention Mr. Schicklgruber and learn from his bad example, no?

But really, it’s worth noting that basic logical fallacies are pretty common, especially the variants of the genetic fallacy and the slippery slope fallacy. My personal take is that we need more people pointing out bad reasoning, not less, even if from time to time they make mistakes. 150 years of no logic instruction in primary and secondary schools has left a mark, to put it mildly.

Every time I read the comments on some blog, even Sharper Iron, there are battles between 2 camps hurling latin phrases at each other, accusing each other of logical fallacies. Nothing is accomplished with that.

Mark, it depends. I’m one of the guilty parties in throwing around those Latin phrases, and I’d argue that pointing out ad hominem fallacies and the like serves two important functions. If the claim is correct, it points out that the accuser isn’t using sound logic—if someone listens, it can point the discussion back to sound principles.

Now here’s the crazy thing; even if the accusation is incorrect, it reminds everyone involved that there is such a thing as bad logic. Some claims are by their very nature false or irrelevant.

To draw a picture, our President is a big fan of genetic fallacies, and if we had people willing to call him on it, a lot of his bluster would be ended. He would be exposed as the “nonsense artist” that he is. Really it could clean up a LOT of our politics—not just those of President Obama.