Appeal to Real Life Fallacy

The fallacy of dismissing an argument, theory, or principle because it doesn't match the speaker's personal, anecdotal, or perceived "common sense" experience of "real life." It privileges a specific, often limited, lived experience over systematic evidence, abstract reasoning, or the experiences of others. It's a variant of the anecdotal fallacy that claims the gritty, messy "real world" invalidates cleaner models or ideals.

Appeal to Real Life Fallacy Example: "Your economic theory about universal basic income sounds nice in a textbook, but in real life—which you'd know if you ever ran a small business—people would just stop working." This dismisses studies and pilots by appealing to a singular, entrenched view of how "real life" (often meaning a competitive, transactional world) supposedly operates.

by Abzugal February 3, 2026