Popular Nebraska Logic Fallacies

Can You Name More?

In discussions with Nebraskans, there are several common logical fallacies which stand out. Logic fallacies (https://www.logicalfallacies.org/ and https://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/logical-fallacies-list/ and https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/common-logical-fallacies) are arguments which lack logical validity resulting in false assumptions.

In any civil discussion, you should be aware of these, and either avoid them or co-opt them. At times, using a logic fallacy can be helpful provided you address the flaw in the logic by using words “presume”, “speculate” or other. Also, beware of partisans who may accuse you of a logical fallacy when they still do not have the information to back up their own position.

The most common fallacy is Appeal to Authority. Often, when a person does not know the details of their advocacy, they will appeal to an authority figure without understanding the flaws within. Activists will frequently appeal to authority with little comprehension of why the authority is unpersuasive or why others find their line of argumentation flawed. The debate over man-made climate theory creates numerous examples of this, such as “NASA says..”.

Ad Hominems, Name-calling, and Shoot-the-Messenger are all common titles for this very common logic fallacy which appears in politics and in many exchanges among advocates and pundits. It can be very subtle or be ragingly profane. This fallacy is a tactic of division and censorship designed to shut down discussion. People using this tactic should be called out, and be requested to bring the discussion back to civility and the facts. However, sometimes it is just too much fun to use such fallacy as a mere insult or pejorative.

Another fallacy is Correlation is Cause Fallacy. This comes up frequently by people and pundits who have a poor understanding of science or economics, depending on the topic. This is a common mistake of presuming correlation proves a cause when it does not. Merely because two items match up, does not mean one causes the other. Every time I hear from the media of some item being “linked to” some horrible outcome, it leads me to mock it with actual logical causes: Being born alive has been linked to death, as eventually all living human beings will die.

The next one is the Bandwagon Effect which we often hear from children: “Everyone else has one! Why can’t I?” Unfortunately, many adults, including elected officials, use this logic fallacy to justify their own public policies: “Well, other states are doing it!”. This fallacy is very similar to the Appeal to Authority Fallacy.

A common fallacy among moderate Republicans is the Sour Grapes Fallacy. Conservatives are quite familiar with this as often Republicans say: “Your idea is great, but the Democrats won’t let us do it”. In other words, the person using such an argument is showing signs of being too lazy or too weak, if not both, in advocating for a good idea.

Whataboutism? Is it a logic fallacy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism)? When partisans attack each other over corruption or scandals, eventually a person will accuse them of “whataboutism” because the initial accusation is never addressed. However, the accusation of whataboutism is an Ad Hominem attack as the initial counter-accusation is about the just application of the rules.

Leftist: Trump sexually abused women.

Trump Supporter: Not to any extent Bill Clinton did.

Leftist: What about it?

Andrew: Leftist, you are not applying standards in a just way but instead in a partisan manner which makes you hypocritical.

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On to the next one: Is the Slippery Slope an actual logic fallacy? This really depends on the evidence presented. The logic fallacy is based on the thought of one cause of action will result in a series of other results without proof: "If you pick that flower, there will be none left as others will follow your example." However, the impact of incrementalism is real (https://www.businessethicsresourcecenter.org/incrementalism/). The Slippery-Slope is an informal fallacy as an argument can be made of actual impact (https://www.grammarly.com/blog/slippery-slope-fallacy/). What makes it a fallacy is when one item is not necessarily linked to another. But Incrementalism is an actual reality of people prioritizing what is important to them.

Know of any others of great annoyance?  Please share.