Logical Fallacies

Faulty logic, confusion, inaccuracy, misperception, and untruth can take many forms. Here are some concepts that we should be aware of so we don't fall into these traps:

• Mislaced concreteness an James's vicious abstractionism seems to undermine many philosophies - [1]
• Generalization - formulation of general concepts from specific instances, often making inaccurate assessment
• Omission - omitting relevant details and therefore making for inaccuracy/confusion
• Mind-reading- assuming that we know what others are thinking. We cannot really know what others are thinking because situations are complex. To think otherwise is dangerous. See [2]
• Confirmation bias - is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses
• Overconfidence in evaluating ourselves
• Blind spots - things we don't know that we don't know
• Apophenia - tendency to perceive connections and meaning between unrelated things
• Hegemony - assuming 'that's just how things are' and nothing else can work or be changed
• Non-sequitur - something that does not follow. Assuming some result when that conclusion cannot be drawn without further knowledge.
• False dilemma - A dilemma that does not really exist. A statement such as: “The government should invest either in scientific research or in education” is false, since it could actually do both.
• Non-violent communication (NVC) - NVC warns us about the distinction between expressing feelings and what we think are feelings but are only thoughts. Lots of times people are unable to express feelings, and therefore not have their needs met. This applies to professional and personal relations.
• Hubris - overstatement of one's significance or skill