2 7 3

IV

F a l l a c i e s

When inferences are defective, they are called fallacious. When defective styles

of reasoning are repeated over and over, because people often get fooled by them,

then we have an argumentative fallacy that is worth flagging with a name. The

number and variety of argumentative fallacies are limited only by the imagination.

Consequently, there is little point in trying to construct a complete list of fallacies.

What is crucial is to get a feel for the most common and most seductive kinds of

fallacy. Once this is done, we should be able to recognize many other kinds as well.

The goal of Part IV is to develop that skill.

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