Intro A. Bronson Alcott was a teacher, social reformer a mentor to Transcendentalism’s movement’s leading figures: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Jane Addams. He was also the father of Louisa May Alcott, whose novel Little Women was based on her upbringing in his house. Alcott’s primary work was as a teacher, not a philosopher. His close friends, including Emerson and the editor Mar... »
Red Herring Fallacy – Definition A Red Herring Fallacy occurs when someone introduces a point or idea that’s way off the trail from the discussion at hand. Think of it like being at a soccer match where everyone should be focused on the game, but suddenly someone starts talking about a totally different sport like badminton. It’s a distraction, a way to throw everyone off the main event—the soccer... »
Understanding the Post Hoc Fallacy A post hoc fallacy is like blaming the wrong suspect just because they were at the scene of a crime first. It’s a mistake in logic where someone believes that if one event happens after another one, the first event must have caused the second one. To put it another way, think of it like this: If you water your garden and later it starts to rain, the post ho... »
Definition of Nirvana Fallacy When you hear someone say a project or an idea isn’t worth it because it’s not perfect, you’re probably listening to the nirvana fallacy. This fallacy is when people reject a pretty good solution just because there’s something better in an ideal world that doesn’t really exist. It’s like not wanting to play your favorite video game ... »
What is a Naturalistic Fallacy? Ever heard of a “naturalistic fallacy?” It’s a fancy term for a pretty simple mistake people make. Here’s one way to understand it: just because something is common in nature doesn’t automatically mean it’s good for us to do. For example, it’s like noticing animals don’t wear clothes and then deciding you shouldn’... »
What is a Modal Fallacy? When we talk about what must or what might happen, or what is always true versus what is sometimes true, our words and thoughts have to match up correctly. If they don’t, we could be making a type of mistake called a modal fallacy. The word “modal” comes from philosophy and logic, and it relates to the words like “possible,” “necessary,&... »
Defining Hasty Generalization A hasty generalization happens when someone makes a judgment too quickly by using only a small bit of information. Just like if you met one person with a red hat who was unfriendly and said, “People with red hats are mean,” you’d be making a big judgment without enough proof. There are lots of people with red hats, and most of them are probably nice!... »
What is a False Dilemma Fallacy? Have you ever heard someone say you can only pick between A or B and nothing else? That’s a false dilemma fallacy. It’s like telling someone they can only choose chocolate or vanilla ice cream when there are flavors like strawberry, mint, and more. This fallacy happens when it’s wrongly claimed that there are just two possibilities when, in realit... »
The False Dichotomy Fallacy – Definition A False Dichotomy Fallacy is when someone claims that there are just two choices or outcomes for a situation when there are, in fact, more. It’s like telling someone they can either be smart or athletic, ignoring the truth that a person can be both or have other qualities. The other names for this type of incorrect thinking include false dilemma fallacy, ei... »
Definition of the Fallacy of Relevance Let’s start with a simple definition: a fallacy of relevance is when an argument is made using information or points that may seem important but actually don’t have anything to do with the topic at hand. It’s like trying to solve a math problem by talking about history—it just doesn’t fit. Think of it this way, too: a fallacy of releva... »