Meta-fallacies that arise from the misapplication or abuse of informal fallacy labels (e.g., ad hominem, straw man, slippery slope) within discourse. These are tactical errors in rhetorical analysis. They happen when someone slaps an informal fallacy label on an argument incorrectly, uses the label as a conversation-stopper without justification, or employs fallacy accusations in a one-sided, partisan way to protect their own side from criticism. It’s using the vocabulary of critical thinking to avoid the practice of it.
Informal Meta-Fallacies Example: In a debate, someone accurately summarizes an opponent's position to show its weakness. The opponent shouts, "Straw man!" even though the summary was fair. This incorrect accusation is an Informal Meta-Fallacy; it weaponizes the name of a fallacy to falsely claim misrepresentation and derail the refutation.
by Dumu The Void February 4, 2026
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