Fallacy of Impossible Reason

A close cousin to impossible rationality, this fallacy demands that an opponent's reasoning process be flawless, complete, and self-contained according to an impossibly strict standard before it can be engaged with. It's the "gotcha" of pointing out that an argument has unstated premises, that it relies on some assumptions, or that it isn't mathematically formalized—as if any human communication could meet such standards. The fallacy lies in using the inevitable gaps and imperfections in all reasoning as an excuse to reject the reasoning entirely, rather than engaging with its substance. It turns the legitimate observation that "no argument is perfect" into the illegitimate conclusion that "therefore no argument is worthwhile."

Example: "He demanded I write my position as a series of formal logical propositions with every premise explicitly stated—a Fallacy of Impossible Reason designed to make conversation so tedious I'd just give up."

Fallacy of Impossible Reason by Dumu The Void March 11, 2026