Tag Archives: ad hominem fallacies

The importance of logical fallacies

As anyone who frequents this blog knows, I spend a lot of time talking about logical fallacies. I frequently criticize peoples’ arguments for having them, and I present them as a reason for rejecting particular lines of thought. Nevertheless, many … Continue reading

Posted in Rules of Logic | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Are scientists arrogant, close-minded, and dismissive?

I spend a lot of time debating people who reject science, and I have observed a common tendency for people to try to dismiss scientific results by attacking scientists with accusations that they are, “arrogant,” “close-minded,” “dismissive” and don’t “take … Continue reading

Posted in Nature of Science | Tagged , , , | 27 Comments

The genetic fallacy: When is it okay to criticize a source?

Last week, I wrote a post on the hierarchy of scientific evidence which included the figure to the right. In that post, I explained why some types of scientific papers produced more robust results than others. Some people, however, took … Continue reading

Posted in Rules of Logic | Tagged , , , | 17 Comments

Stop accusing me of ad hominem fallacies you stupid idiots

Ad hominem fallacies are among the most common logical fallacies, but they are also among the most misunderstood. Indeed, I often see people falsely accusing their opponent of committing an ad hominem fallacy. Therefore, I am going to explain how … Continue reading

Posted in Rules of Logic | Tagged , | 8 Comments

The Rules of Logic Part 3: Logical Fallacies

Perhaps the most common mistake that people make in debates is the use of logical fallacies. This occurs largely because people generally are not taught logical fallacies, and, therefore, don’t recognize them when they use or see them. Knowing logical … Continue reading

Posted in Rules of Logic | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments