Skip to main content

Definitions by The Logical Fallacy

An adjective meant to describe a word unpleasant to the sound or pronunciation. Opposite of Woody.
"'Sausage'! There's a good woody sort of word, 'sausage'. 'Gorn.'"
"'Antelope!'"
"Where? On the lawn?"
"No, no, Daddy. Just the word."
"Don't want antelope nibbling the hoops."
"No, no -- 'ant-e-lope'. Sort of nice and woody type of thing."
"Don't think so, Becky old chap."
"No, no -- 'antelope' - 'antelope', 'tinny' sort of word."
-- "The Woody Sketch" from Monty Python's Flying Circus
Tinny by The Logical Fallacy May 12, 2017
A term used by believers of Creationism to separate and categorize various animals (both by species and breeds) in Baraminology, but dismissed by virtually every other field of science.
"The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, a third day... Then God said, 'Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.' God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.' There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. Then God said, 'Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind'; and it was so."
-- Genesis 1:12-24
Kind by The Logical Fallacy January 13, 2017

Destructive Criticism 

Often confused with Constructive Criticism, destructive criticism is when a critique is made that does little to open for improvement, but rather attacks the work through fallacious logic or personal bias, and often leads to the weaken rather than strengthen the work. Usually done to attack the creator and not the creation.
It's destructive criticism to demand a happy ending instead of a horrifying ending for an intentionally horrifying film.
An adjective meant to describe a word pleasant to the sound or pronunciation. Opposite of Tinny.
"Yes, you can't beat wood. Gorn."
"What's gone, dear?"
"Nothing, nothing -- just like the word, it gives me confidence. Gorn. Gorn -- it's got a sort of 'woody' quality about it. Gorn. Go-o-orn. Much better than 'newspaper' or 'litter bin'."
-- Graham Chapman, "The Woody Sketch" from Monty Python's Flying Circus
Woody by The Logical Fallacy October 12, 2016

American Exceptionalism

A patriotism-based political belief that states that the United States of America is unique or exceptional when compared with the historical development of other countries, and is thus considered better than other countries regardless of context.

More extreme cases of this have led to white-washing of historical events, propaganda and violation of international law under the pretense that "it's not a crime when America does it."
America's greatness, America's exceptional greatness, is not based on that fact that we are the most powerful, most prosperous - and most generous - nation on earth. Rather, those things are the result of American Exceptionalism.
-- Newt Gingrich

Socratic 

The adjective meaning "like Socrates" or "Socrates-like". Usually applied to nouns that are involved in critical thinking.
The Socratic Method involves asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to draw out ideas and underlying presumptions.
Socratic by The Logical Fallacy September 23, 2016

Regressive Right

Regressive Right is is composed of the more negative aspects of far right political opinions, specifically in such a manner that frowns upon critical thinking in favor of dogmatic thinking. Train of thought most often associated with Neocons. Opposite on the political spectrum from the Regressive Left.

Such examples include sexism against women by virtue of their gender, denouncement of racism while simultaneously denouncing people of color by virtue of their skin color, denouncement of any economic philosophy alien to Capitalism, Christian apologetics, Islamophobia, American Exceptionalism, etc.
Some on the Regressive Right completely ignore the entire Bill of Rights except for the 2nd amendment, disregarding the benefits of secularism under the pretense that America is a Christian nation.