~*~ ARISTOTLE'S ORIGINAL 13 ~*~
Language-Dependent (In Dictione)
| # | Name | Latin | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Equivocation | - | Same word, different meanings |
| 2 | Amphiboly | - | Ambiguous grammar/sentence structure |
| 3 | Composition | - | Parts true → whole must be true |
| 4 | Division | - | Whole true → parts must be true |
| 5 | Accent | - | Emphasis changes meaning |
| 6 | Figure of Speech | - | Grammatical form misleads |
Language-Independent (Extra Dictionem)
| # | Name | Latin | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Accident | - | Applying general rule to exception |
| 8 | Secundum quid | Secundum quid | Ignoring qualifications; hasty generalization |
| 9 | Ignoratio elenchi | Ignoratio elenchi | Missing the point; irrelevant conclusion |
| 10 | Petitio principii | Petitio principii | Begging the question; circular reasoning |
| 11 | Consequent | Affirming consequent | If A→B, B, therefore A |
| 12 | Non causa pro causa | Non causa pro causa | False cause |
| 13 | Many Questions | - | Complex question assuming something unproven |
~*~ EXTENDED CLASSICAL TRADITION ~*~
| # | Name | Latin | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Post hoc ergo propter hoc | Post hoc | After this, therefore because of this |
| 15 | Ad Hominem | Argumentum ad hominem | Attack the person, not the argument |
| 16 | Appeal to Emotion | Ad passiones | Bypass logic with emotional appeal |
| 17 | Appeal to Popularity | Ad populum | Everyone believes it, so it's true |
| 18 | Appeal to Authority | Ad verecundiam | Expert said it, so it's true |
| 19 | Appeal to Ignorance | Ad ignorantiam | Can't disprove it, so it's true |
| 20 | Appeal to Force | Ad baculum | Accept it or face consequences |
| 21 | Argument from Silence | Ex silentio | No evidence against = evidence for |
| 22 | Tu Quoque | Tu quoque | "You too" / hypocrisy charge |
| 23 | False Dichotomy | - | Only two options when more exist |
| 24 | Special Pleading | - | Applying standards selectively |
| 25 | Straw Man | - | Misrepresenting opponent's argument |
| 26 | Gambler's Fallacy | - | Past random events affect future |
| 27 | Ad Nauseam | Ad nauseam | Repetition until accepted as true |
| 28 | Paralipsis | - | "I'm not saying X, but..." (then says X) |
| 29 | False Analogy | - | Comparing unlike things as if similar |
| 30 | Non Sequitur | Non sequitur | Conclusion doesn't follow from premises |
| 31 | Slippery Slope | - | A leads to B leads to Z (without justification) |
| 32 | Appeal to Fear | Ad metum | Using fear to bypass rational analysis |
| 33 | Zero-Sum Fallacy | - | One's gain must be another's loss |
| 34 | Genetic Fallacy | - | Origin determines validity |
| 35 | False Balance | - | Treating unequal positions as equally valid |
| 36 | Poisoned Skittles | - | Rare bad actors condemn entire group |
| 37 | Loaded Question | - | Question that presupposes something unproven |
| 38 | Naturalistic Fallacy | - | Is → Ought (nature determines morality) |
| 43 | Continuum Fallacy | Sorites Paradox | Can't specify exact boundary → no boundary exists |
~*~ MODERN OBSERVED FALLACIES ~*~
| # | Name | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | Suppressed Evidence | Climate/Turnaway data | Ignoring inconvenient evidence |
| 40 | Audience Segregation | 15%/0% audience split | Different arguments for different audiences |
| 41 | Strange Bedfellows Cover | Respectability bridge pattern | Reasonable position legitimizes extreme allies |
| 42 | Willful Ignorance Defense | "I don't know about that..." template | Feign uncertainty to avoid available evidence ("I don't know about that...") |
| 44 | Smuggled Philosophy | Climate framing variant | Present contestable policy as common-sense pragmatism ("Common-Sense Cover") |
| 45 | Preemptive Rebuttal | "Cold kills" pre-buttal | Deploy counter-argument before opponent attacks (aka "Pre-buttal") |
| 46 | Unfalsifiable Performance Claim | "Other account" performance claim | Claim superior performance in unverifiable contexts ("Other Account" claim) |
| 47 | Endpoint Switching | R&D promise -> buybacks redefined as goal | Change success criteria after failure and present revised target as original intent ("Moving the Goalposts") |
| 48 | Affect Dominance | Hearing-combat anger optics | Use anger/intensity as proxy for truth and leadership while factual burden remains unresolved |
~*~ FEATURED FALLACY: CONTINUUM ~*~
The Structure:
You can't specify exact boundary → therefore no boundary exists → extreme position wins by default
Examples:
Abortion: "You can't name the exact day" → Conception wins
Climate: "You can't prove exactly X%" → Do nothing wins
Counter: Most ethical thresholds ARE gradients. Fuzziness acknowledges honest uncertainty - precision ≠ correctness!