Part Four: Fallacies (Foundations of Logic)

Fallacies are reasoning errors that distort arguments, weakening the logical structure of an argument. The word comes from the Latin fallere, meaning "to deceive,", and they often arise from cognitive shortcuts and rhetorical strategies.

Common Fallacies

Ad Hominem (attacking the person rather than the argument). Example: "You’re wrong because you never went to college."

Straw Man (misrepresenting an argument to make it easier to refute). Example: "You think we should recycle more? So you want to ban all plastic immediately?"

False Cause (assuming causation from correlation). Example: "I wore my lucky socks, so we won the game."

Slippery Slope (claiming that one action will inevitably lead to extreme consequences). Example: "If we allow one exception, soon there will be no rules at all."

The goal in identifying fallacies is not to dismiss arguments outright but to enable examining their structure and determining whether they hold logically. An argument can contain a fallacy and still have the valid conclusion.

Conclusion

Fallacies are better thought of as part of a broader understanding of logical reasoning, not as isolated tricks for debate. In the context of the Trivium, fallacy recognition serves as a natural transition between grammar (naming things) and rhetoric (persuasion).

In practice, the best approach is to encourage curiosity: “Does that follow?” rather than “That’s wrong.” -- logical reasoning doesn't develop through memorizing fallacy names.