Show Notes The No True Scotsman Fallacy is committed when your existing definition of a particular group is challenged by a member who doesn't fit the criteria. Rather than adjust the definition, the offending group member is redefined as a non-member of the group. The name comes from an example given in...
Show Notes The Rhetorical Question Fallacy is a way of accusing people of something while appearing to be 'just asking questions'. Often the questions being asked have already been debunked or already have a satisfactory answer. Trump We started out with this clip of Trump accusing healthcare workers of stealing PPE during a...
Show Notes The Hedging Fallacy is committed when someone changes their story or point of view and then acts like nothing has changed and they always thought like that. Trump We started out with this clip of Trump answering a journalist who asked him why his tone shifted and he started taking the...
Show Notes The Appeal to Flattery Fallacy is committed when someone uses flattery in the place of an argument when convincing someone to accept their point of view. Trump We started out with this Trump tweet about A$AP Rocky: Just spoke to @KanyeWest about his friend A$AP Rocky’s incarceration. I will be calling the...
Show Notes The Wrong Tool Fallacy is committed when someone tries to present evidence for their argument, but the method or tool they are using isn't designed to show what they claim it shows. Trump We started out with this clip of Trump bragging about the Dow Jones: Then we looked at this clip...
Show Notes The Ad Hominem Circumstantial Fallacy is committed when, instead of addressing someone's argument, you question the reason that they are making the argument, often suggesting that their circumstances mean that they benefit in some way from such an argument. Trump We started out with this tweet from Donald dismissing John Bolton's...
Show Notes The Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy describes a situation where someone collects or examines a large amount of data without deciding in advance exactly what they're testing, then chooses a sample which provides evidence for their existing opinion. It's based on a story where an inexperienced gunman fires indiscriminately at the...
Show Notes Invincible Ignorance describes a situation where, no matter how much evidence is presented or how clearly they are wrong, a fallacious arguer simply refuses to waver from their original position. Trump We started out with this clip of Trump talking to Hugh Hewitt in 2015: And we followed that up with this...
Show Notes Typically, the burden of proof lies with the person making the claim. The more outrageous the claim, the more the claimant should be expected to provide evidence before anyone is likely to believe him. When the claimant instead challenges others to prove his claim is not true he is Shifting...
Show Notes The Counterfactual fallacy is often committed when someone speculates on the specifics of how things would be different in different circumstances, or in the future if a particular thing happens. Where the arguer purports to have more certainty of the hypothetical situation, or their speculation goes against evidence, they...