Fallacy

“The easiest and most popular way of practically refuting... any Fallacy is, by bringing forward a parallel case, where it leads to a manifest absurdity. A metaphysical objection may still be urged against many cases in which we thus reason from calculation of chances; an objection not likely indeed practically to influence any one, but which may afford the Sophist a triumph over those who are unable to find a solution.”

“A Fallacy, or Sophism, is a false argument; or else an argument leading to a false conclusion. The use of such arguments is sometimes called sophistry; and in complex cases, it may be very difficult to detect. When the premises are false, or unsupported, or irrelevant, the fallacy is called material; but when the error is in the process of employing them, the fallacy is called logical.”

“All the fallacies of human reason had to be exhausted, before the light of a high truth could meet with ready acceptance.”

“Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions.”

“It is not proof that I sought. I, of all men, know that proof is but a fallacy invented by man to justify to himself and his fellows his own crass lust and folly.”

“It is just as easy to indoctrinate with fallacies as with facts.”

“The specialist is one who never makes small mistakes while moving towards the grand fallacy.”

“A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional objectivity. It would be more nearly true to say that it is based upon wonder, adventure and hope.”

“The general nature of the speech act fallacy can be stated as follows, using “good” as our example. Calling something good is characteristically praising or commending or recommending it, etc. But it is a fallacy to infer from this that the meaning of “good” is explained by saying it is used to perform the act of commendation.”

“The assertion fallacy … is the fallacy of confusing the conditions for the performance of the speech act of assertion with the analysis of the meaning of particular words occurring in certain assertions.”

“There is no better means of reducing a fallacious variety of thought to absurdity than to let it live itself out completely.”

“Never say, and never take seriously anyone who says, "I cannot believe that so-and-so could have evolved by gradual selection". I have dubbed this kind of fallacy "the Argument from Personal Incredulity". Time and again, it has proven the prelude to an intellectual banana-skin experience.”

“The fact that man produces a concept "I" besides the totality of his mental and emotional experiences or perceptions does not prove that there must be any specific existence behind such a concept. We are succumbing to illusions produced by our self-created language, without reaching a better understanding of anything. Most of so-called philosophy is due to this kind of fallacy.”

“Fallacious arguments usually have the deceptive appearance of being good arguments.”

“Since the time of Plato and Aristotle philosophers have had an interest in taking note of common fallacies in reasoning.”

“Ad hominem argument saves time, but it's still a fallacy.”

“We shouldn't decide everything by polling the masses. This is the fallacy argumentum ad numerum, the idea that something is true because great numbers believe it, as in "Eat shit. 20 trillion flies can't be wrong."”

“Fallacies are not simply crazy ideas. They are usually both plausible and logical— but with something missing.”