A specific form of Logical Fishing where the participant focuses entirely on identifying fallacies in the opponent’s argument, often incorrectly or with minimal justification. The fisher may even create a “fallacy bingo card” and try to check off boxes instead of engaging the content. The implicit claim is that naming a fallacy (even wrongly) is sufficient to dismiss the argument. Fallacy Fishing reduces debate to a game of “gotcha,” where the winner is the one who can attach the most fallacy labels. It is a classic example of the fallacy fallacy—assuming that because an argument contains a fallacy, its conclusion is false.
Example: “He ignored her evidence and instead posted a ‘logical fallacy bingo card’ with squares like ‘straw man’ and ‘ad hominem.’ Fallacy Fishing: hunting for labels instead of engaging ideas.”
by Abzugal April 3, 2026
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