Logical Fallacies

One of the reasons that an unverifiable globe model with impossible dimensions has been able to be perpetuated for so long is that there is a serious lack of training in systematic logic. At one time, formal training in logic was an accepted and important part of classical education. It should surprise no one familiar with current world affairs that it is advantageous for those hoarding power and resources to keep the masses uneducated and their minds untrained. By learning about and pointing out the errors in logic known as logical fallacies when they occur, we can retrain our minds to think more logically and clearly about the nature of our world and other important issues.

Informal Fallacies

Informal fallacies can be determined only through analyzing the content of the argument, as opposed to formal fallacies which relate to the form of the argument.

• Appeal to Authority (Argumentum as Verecundiam)

 Example:  "I saw on television that the entertainer Bill Nye says that the Earth is a globe because ships disappear over the horizon."

• Appeal to Ignorance (Argumentum as Ignorantiam)

 Example: "Flat earth has no working model, therefore it must be wrong."

• Argument Against the Person (Argumentum ad Hominem)

 Example: "Those who think the earth is flat must have never have completed elementary school."

Example of Argumentum Ad Hominem from discord.gg/flatearth

• Argument From Incredulity

  Example:  "Common sense dictates that we live on a globe."

Argument from Incredulity (Meme by Drace Love Wisdom Harmony)

• Argumentum Ad Nauseam (also known as an argument by repetition) is the logical fallacy that something becomes true if it is repeated often enough.

  Example:  "The earth is round. The earth is round.  The earth is round.  The earth is round."

Argumentum Ad Nauseam Example (from discord.gg/flatearth)

• Appeal to Force (Argumentum ad Baculum: Appeal to the "Stick"): When this fallacy is employed, force or the threat of force is used instead of reason to justify a conclusion.

 Example: "Those who believe in flat earth should have their children forcibly removed from their home." 

• Appeal to Pity (Argumentum as Misericordiam): With this fallacy, an attempt is made to distract from the truth of the conclusion by inspiring pity."

  Example: "These Flat Earth Discord mods keep muting me and suppressing my freedom of speech."

• Appeal to the People (Argumentum ad Populum)

Example: "Of course we live on a globe.  99% of the people understand this."

• Begging the Question (Petitio Principii)

 Example: "Using the given earth radius of 3959 miles, I can easily show you that we live on a globe."

• Dicto Simpliciter (Sweeping Generalization Fallacy): In this fallacy, a general rule or observation is treated as universally true regardless of the circumstances or people concerned.

  Example: "All flat earthers approach flat earth from a religious viewpoint, so as an atheist I can't possibly take any of the evidence seriously."

• Escape To The Future: This fallacy consist of an appeal to some future time when the claim made will become evident to all.

  Example: "I can't wait until the day when the average citizen can buy a ticket to Mars and all of you flat earthers will be proven wrong."  

• Gish Gallop: Attempting to overwhelm a debate opponent by introducing a large number of topics on a shallow basis in rapid succession

   Example:  "But what about ships over the horizon? Is gravity real? Where's the edge? Why can't I fall off? Why would they lie? How do seasons work?"

Gish Galloping in 7 Minutes Flat

• Missing the Point (Ignoratio Elenchi)

 Example: "The Earth can't be flat, because most flat earthers get their information from The Bible."

• Red Herring: In the red herring fallacy, attention is diverted to a topic that only has surface relevancy to the topic at hand.

 Example: "You say the earth measures flat.  What about gravity?"

• Straw Man

 Example: "Flat earthers think the earth is a disc flying through space, but why would the earth be a different shape than other planets?" 

Straw Man Fallacy (Meme by Drace Love Wisdom Harmony)

• Hasty Generalization (Converse Accident)
• False Cause
• Slippery Slope
• Weak Analogy

• Wishful Thinking: This fallacy occurs when the desire for something to be true is used in place of actual evidence for the claim.

Examples of the Wishful Thinking fallacy are demonstrated on a daily basis at the 24/7 Flat Earth Discord 2.0 (discord.gg/flatearth)

• Complex Question

• False Dichotomy

• Suppressed Evidence

 Example: "Everyone knows we live on a globe, and there has never been any scientific evidence found to dispute this idea."

• Equivocation
• Amphiboly
• Composition
• Division

References

Bluedorn, Nathaniel, et al. The Fallacy Detective: Thirty-Eight Lessons on How to Recognize Bad Reasoning. Christian Logic, 2015.

Cline, Austin. “What Is Suppressed Evidence Fallacy?” ThoughtCo, 13 Nov. 2019, https://www.thoughtco.com/suppressed-evidence-fallacy-250354

Hurley, Patrick J. A Concise Introduction to Logic. Wadsworth, 1988.

Logically Fallacious, Archieboy Holdings, LLC, 2020, https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/.

Nordquist, Richard. “What Is the Logical Fallacy Known as Dicto Simpliciter?” ThoughtCo, Dotdash, 19 June 2019, www.thoughtco.com/dicto-simpliciter-logical-fallacy-1690451.

Scienta, Petros B. Argument to the Future / Escape to the Future, Nov. 2016, https://www.seekfind.net/Argument_to_the_Future__Escape_to_the_Future.html#.YGW1VhNKgWo.