So, you want to understand what happened to the economy in 2008? I have an answer. It’s a poem. Why a poem? Because people can follow a poem, if it’s not too poetic, better than they can follow detailed chains of economic reasoning. Poems can have great influence. It is safe to say that the [...]
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(From the author’s Biblical Logic: In Theory and Practice) An Appeal to Peer Pressure uses the emotional and psychological feeling of inclusion in or exclusion from a group as a means of pressuring its victim to adopt a position. Crude examples say, “Everyone else is doing it. You won’t be cool if you don’t,” or [...]
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One of the “Fallacies of Cause” I address in my book Biblical Logic is one that confuses simultaneity for causation. In other words, just because two things occur at or near the same time, someone may fallaciously assume that one caused the other. We call this Cum Hoc Propter Hoc, which is Latin for “With this, because of this.” The same exposure of folly as the After This Fallacy applies here to the With This Fallacy: a myriad of possible causes exist – many we may not even see or know of – for every given occurrence. This creates a high probability for false causes, even for events that seem to concur in time. Correlation in time cannot guarantee a causal link.
Full Story » An unfortunate example of the fallacy of Epithet comes in the writings of John Calvin himself. That such a gifted theologian as Calvin commits this error testifies again to the insidious nature of fallacies – even the best can and do fall prey.
Full Story » Modern Christianity is known, among other things, for teaching the idea of God’s unconditional love. It is often spoken of in terms of evangelism, when believers express their concern for the "afterlife" of unbelievers. "God loves you unconditionally," they tell their unbelieving audience, "and He wants you to be with Him in heaven."
Full Story » Having just finished my book Biblical Logic: In Theory and Practice, I have grown more sensitive at spotting logical fallacies all around. Not that I take pride in doing so – it just happens. Since I just spent the better part of nine months writing sections on dozens of informal fallacies out there, I am kind of in “fallacy detective” mode, sniffing out disturbing claims left and right.
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