Fun with Fallacies

Unmasking the inane, with a dash of inanity

​This brilliant image by M.C. Escher is an optical illusion, a visual fallacy. As with any effective hoodwink, it continues to seems plausible even after you see the trick.

​Below is a non-exhaustive list of common fallacies. Each one, like this picture, contains enough truth to complete the lie. ​In spite of being so commonplace (or maybe because of it), these fallacies continue to fool us every day.

Fallacy of the Excluded Middle: Only extreme views are valid. Example: Windshield wipers should either be OFF or thrashing like light-sabers, preferably batting raindrops from mid-air rather than risk moistening the windshield.

Appeal to Common Belief: If others believe it [scientists, news anchors, your mom], it must be true.

False Analogy: Having a common property makes different things the same. “My mom and my dad are both short, therefore they’re both my dad.”

Misleading Vividness: “I saw a horrifying picture of a guy who got mauled by a bear. Let’s not go camping; I’m pretty sure it will happen to us.”

Affirming the Antecedent: If A is true, then B must be true. “If bad things happen, then there is no God. Bad things happen, therefore there is no God.”

Repetition: Repeating something makes it more true. Repeating something makes it more true. Convinced?

Style Over Substance: An attractive presentation makes it true. If you wear the same makeup as Jessica Alba, people won’t be able to tell you apart.

Shifting the Burden of Proof: “I can say whatever I want, and it’s your job to disprove it: I’m a moron. Go.”

Circular Reasoning: “The earth is flat because when you go around it, it’s not like a ball. Therefore, it must be flat.”

Shotgun Argumentation: Engulfing the listener in an incoherent flurry of words. “Don’t talk to my mama unless you keep cognitive of her atypical medicals and pregnosticated stuff irregardless.”

Psychologist’s Fallacy: The observer presupposes the objectivity of his own perspective. “I said it, didn’t I? That should be enough.”

Argument from Ignorance: Assuming that a premise is true because it has not been proven false, or vice versa. “I know I’ll be a great leader someday since I’ve never been one before.”

Mistaken Cause: X happened, then Y happened. Therefore X caused Y. “The Loch Ness monster has been spotted near here. Something bumped our boat. It must have been Nessy.”