A play on words can be humorous, but it can also be a logical fallacy. Equivocation exchanges one definition of a word for another. Take the following examples: It’s wrong for a man to beat his wife. When Mike played his wife Cheryl in a game of chess, he beat her. Therefore, what Mike did [...]

Over the last couple of years, I have drastically reduced the amount of posts I do on political issues, to the point of doing almost none. This is something I thought was interesting though, and would like to share my thoughts. The Democrats are licking their wounds after the upset of Scott Brown in Massachusetts. [...]

Also known as Argumentum ad Misericordiam, the Appeal to Pity is a form of Red Herring argument in which logic is abandoned in favor of an emotional response, specifically pity. Because the Appeal to Pity is manipulative in nature, it also falls under the umbrella of propaganda. Mr. Vandalay: Thanks for coming in to day [...]

The Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc fallacy is also known as “After this, therefore because of this”. It’s a very common fallacy, easy to commit, and often difficult to detect. It’s based on the assumption that if A happens after B, A was caused by B. This is the fallacy that starts superstitions. When a [...]

For this episode, Patrick Szalapski of ShareYourFaith.org returns for a second episode with me to discuss the doctrine of Penal Substitutionary Atonement. We also discussed some of the competing doctrines, such as Christus Victor. To sign up for email notifications of new episodes of Echo Zoe Radio, visit http://www.echozoe.com/archives/2292

If you’re categorizing fallacies as sub-fallacies of others, the Appeal to Authority would be a sub-fallacy of the Genetic Fallacy. It is used when experts are cited that are not experts in the subject at hand. Curt: Warren Buffet is the richest man in the world, and he says that Vitamin-D3 supplements reduce your chances [...]

The Genetic Fallacy is one in which an argument is supported or dismissed based on its origin, rather than its merit. It is similar to the Ad Hominem attack, and can even be easily confused with Ad Hominem, but rather than attacking the person making the argument, the source is attacked. Here’s an example to [...]

Tu Quoque is a form of ad hominem. It means “You too”. It’s often called “The You Too Fallacy”. The way Tu Quoque works is that a person’s argument is dismissed because he is guilty of violating his own argument. He is hung on his inconsistency. Dave: Marriage is a sacred institution Brian, you need [...]

If distorting or distracting from an argument isn’t beneficial, the next fallacy often employed is the Ad Hominem, which means “against the man”. It’s also known as a personal attack. In an ad hominem argument, the credibility, reputation, or motives of the person is maligned. It doesn’t matter if the attack on the person is [...]

In the last lesson, we looked at the Straw Man fallacy. Similar to the Straw Man is the Red Herring. In the sport of fox hunting, trainers would drag dead herring across the trail in order to train their dogs to stay on the right scent. When a dog was correctly trained, it would stay [...]