Skip to main content

Litterers fallacy

Argument used to excuse the harm done by one’s actions due to them being only a small part of a large problem.
‘It’s just one bottle cap I tossed man, this city isn’t a dump just cause of me.’
‘Bro, that’s a litterers fallacy.’
by HeightAdvantage December 13, 2020
mugGet the Litterers fallacy mug.

The Fallacy of Means

When we are led to believe doing wrong will end in good but it ends in evil and failure anyway.
The US government swore tormenting's Pablo with constant E.L.F. broadcasts into standing up for what he didn't believe in would end up being good for the country, but it ended up being an example of The Fallacy of Means when it Really ended in economy ruining sanctions.
by DoomTheory December 22, 2020
mugGet the The Fallacy of Means mug.

The Relative/absolute fallacy

Similar to Ken Wilber's "Pre/trans fallacy", which is about conflating pre-rational views with trans-rational views, the Relative/absolute fallacy is about conflating relative perspectives with The Absolute perspective. This is the main source of confusion in the forms of spirituality that deal with the implications of non-duality (Oneness).

There are generally two levels to the fallacy:

1. The first level is the conflation that happens when you don't have knowledge about the distinction between the relative and The Absolute (dual/non-dual). This is common in pre-rational religious people (Wilber). The way that traditional religion interprets various holy texts is itself a good example.

2. The second level happens when you do have knowledge about the distinction between relative and absolute (but it's obviously not complete knowledge). This is common in (aspiring) trans-rational people. A common example is to think that because nothing ultimately really matters, morality doesn't matter, and therefore it's fine to for example hurt other people. This is to conflate "the relative" with "The Absolute". From The Absolute perspective, yes, nothing really matters, but morality can only ever be defined "relative" to a certain value system in the first place. By taking the absolute perspective, you're deliberately stepping outside of all value systems, but "it's fine to hurt other people" would be a moral statement, which means you're actually invoking a relative perspective.
You're conflating relative perspectives with The Absolute perspective ("The Relative/Absolute Fallacy").

Albert thinks he is God and nobody else is. Albert has committed the Relative/Absolute Fallacy.
by Carich99 December 23, 2020
mugGet the The Relative/absolute fallacy mug.

The Dingus Fallacy

Making an assumption that, since there are REASONS WHY some thing exists, therefore that thing does NOT exist.
Rashaan: The "gender gap in pay" is a myth! The fact is that women CHOOSE lower paying jobs so they can spend more time with their family.

Han: So, the fact that women make less money than men is false, because there is a reason women make less money than men? Look out, big brain time! Sounds like you've committed the Dingus Fallacy.
by alienacean October 29, 2020
mugGet the The Dingus Fallacy mug.

The Subaru Fallacy

The common mistaken belief that all people who drive Subarus are gay, just because all lesbians drive Subarus.
Christie: Hey Joe, you're a flaming homosexual because of those navy blue briefs! Steve: No way. I'm an expert on men's underwear. Like Rick from Pawn Stars calls me when he has questions. This js just a classic example of The Subaru Fallacy!
by C Chaotic November 8, 2020
mugGet the The Subaru Fallacy mug.

The Subaru Fallacy

The false belief that all people who drive Subarus are gay, because all lesbians drive Subarus.
Christie: hey Joe you're clearly a flaming homosexual because of those burnt orange briefs. Steve: No way! I'm an expert on men's underwear. Like Rick from Pawn Stars calls me when he has questions. This is a classic example of the Subaru Fallacy!
by C Chaotic November 8, 2020
mugGet the The Subaru Fallacy mug.

Logical fallacies

A useful set of 'refutational tools' whose usage is mainly seen in random internet arguments but can also equally be applied in the IRL realm too, such as against your wife or your boss. The former scenario is where people often abuse logical fallacies to the point of committing a fallacy fallacy, so be wise and use them sparingly and only as a supplement to your argument.

Also related to non sequitur.
1) Jim called out his boss by using logical fallacies to poke holes in his ridiculous decisions.
2) Tommy used logical fallacies to his advantage in order to expose the inconsistencies in his girlfriend's reasoning with regards to how he should spend his money.
mugGet the Logical fallacies mug.

Share this definition

Sign in to vote

We'll email you a link to sign in instantly.

Or

Check your email

We sent a link to

Open your email