Formal and Informal Fallacies

by Harvey Bluedorn

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Logical Fallacies

A fallacy is a defect in an argument which misleads the mind. The defect may be intentional or
unintentional. If the defect is intentional, we sometimes call it a sophism. One's understanding of fallacies
may be used for good, in order to avoid or expose error; or it may be used for evil, in order to subtly
deceive.

Ethics of Fallacy Detection

Being mislead by another's reasoning may lead one to be persuaded to follow a foolish and harmful course
of action. As Christians are to be as wise as serpents, so they ought to be aware of the false reasonings
which are common to man ever since the initial deception by the serpent in the garden. One should sense
some moral obligation to be aware of faulty reasonings in order to protect himself from the misleadings of
others, and to protect others from being mislead by himself. Above all, it is to the glory of God that we
reason correctly, for without correct reasoning we cannot understand His Word, and without understanding
we cannot fully and properly obey.

Detection of a fallacy in another's reasoning does not necessarily imply that it is proper to point it out. One
can become obnoxious and offensive if he continually picks apart what others say. There are more gracious
ways to avoid errors than simply pointing them out frankly, candidly and bluntly. To be sure, there are times
to be brutally honest, but such times are less frequent than practiced. One's goal should be to win another
to sound reasoning, and winning another often involves more than naked reason. It involves courtesy,
consideration, and gentle coaxing. Also, one ought to approach such matters with humility, for fallacy is a
malady so common to man that it is certain that the corrector himself is to be found at fault from time to
time.

Formal Fallacies

A formal fallacy is one which involves an error in the form, arrangement or technical structure of an
argument. The question in view is not whether a conclusion is true or false, but whether the form of the
argument is correct or incorrect, valid or invalid.

The concluding statement of an argument may be objectively true, though the argument is formally invalid;
or the concluding statement may be objectively false, though the argument is formally valid. Here are some
examples:

Formally Valid Arguments:

2. False but Valid: 

Formally Invalid Arguments:

3. False and Invalid: 

4. True but Invalid: 

In example 2, the first statement is false, but the form or structure of the argument is correct or valid. (If all
men were green; then Socrates would be also.)

In examples 3 and 4, the first statement says something about some men, not about all men. One could
correctly reason from this first statement that Socrates might possibly be green or mortal, but he could not
correctly reason that Socrates necessarily is green or mortal.

Formal fallacies are therefore invalid arguments, arguments where the concluding statement does not
necessarily follow from the statements preceding it. The concluding statement may actually be objectively
true, but it's truth does not depend on or follow from the other statements.

A change in the actual terms used in an argument may affect the actual truth value of the argument, but a
change in terms will not affect the validity or invalidity of the argument. All men including Socrates are truly
mortal; but all men including Socrates are not truly green. If all men were green, then Socrates would be
also! But if only some men were green, then Socrates would not necessarily be green.

Because the terms themselves do not affect validity, we can substitute symbols for the terms.

All men are mortal. All a are b.

Because there are only a small number of possible relationships between the terms, these relationships can
also be represented by symbols. When this is done, the whole form of an argument can be written in
symbols. This is called symbolic logic, which is a special branch of the study of formal validity.

Informal Fallacies

Correct reasoning involves clear expression and valid form. Formal fallacies are a matter of invalid form.
Informal fallacies are a matter of unclear expression. Formal fallacies deal with the logic of the technical
structure, while informal fallacies deal with the logic of the meaning of language. The word "informal" does
not here mean it is inferior, casual or improper. It only means that our focus is not on the form of the
argument, but on the meaning of the argument.

An informal fallacy involves such things as: the misuse of language such as words or grammar,
misstatements of fact or opinion, misconceptions due to underlying presuppositions, or just plain illogical
sequences of thought.

We encounter both formal and informal fallacies every day, but unlike formal fallacies, we cannot reduce
informal fallacies to symbolic formulas. We can, however, compile a list of characteristic profiles of informal
fallacies, and arrange them into general categories.

I. Informal Fallacies of Ambiguity

The first general category of informal fallacies we will examine is that which involves the imprecise use of
language. Each language has its own "logic" the way the written symbols or the spoken symbols are
arranged to convey certain meanings. When a word or an expression is used in an imprecise manner, a door
is opened for a misunderstanding, a fallacy.

A. Equivocation

A word may have more than one distinguishable meaning. An argument may be constructed around the
ambiguity of the meaning of that word. If you use one meaning of the word in a premise; then another
meaning of the word in another premise, or in the conclusion, you may appear to have proved something.

Example: 
Logic teaches you how to argue.
People argue entirely too much.
Therefore we don't need to teach people Logic.

In this "argument" the word "argue" is used in two entirely different senses. In the first line, the word
"argue" is used to mean only the process of arranging propositions to flow logically from a premise to a
conclusion. In the second line, the word "argue" is used to include such meanings as a heated discussion, a
bitter disagreement, a contentious altercation, a dispute or a controversy. A logical argument may
sometimes lead to a dispute, or it may sometimes settle a dispute; but there is no necessary connection
between teaching logical argument and encouraging people to bitterly argue.

Often a person does not recognize that he is using a term in two senses because the two senses are often
very close, yet distinguishable. A gracious way to approach someone whom you think has equivocated is to
ask him to define his use of the word in each proposition. If he does not recognize any difference, you may
point out the differences, often subtle, which you notice. If he still does not catch on, you may wish to offer
an example of your own equivocation in order to humble yourself and thereby disarm any "defense"
mechanism which may be kicking in and blinding him. Another possibility which you must consider is that
you have invented the equivocation in your mind. It is not real. If you are still satisfied that he has
equivocated, you must determine whether the conversation can continue around the point, possibly
returning later to the point after other things have been discussed and clarified.

B. Amphibology or Semantic and Syntactic Ambiguity

A variation on the above is when a word, phrase or grammatical construction is used which can be
understood more than one way.

 Example: Lots for sale. (Semantic Ambiguity: Allotments of land or numerous things?)
 Example: Laurie calls her mother when she's alone. (Syntactic Ambiguity: Who is alone, Laurie or
her mother?)

A Semantic Ambiguity can be removed by defining the ambiguous word or by offering a synonym. A
Syntactic Ambiguity can be removed by reconstructing the sentence.

Some Amphibologies may be deliberate.

 Example: "What I have written, I have written." (John 19:22)

Pilate states a fact, that he had written the inscription of condemnation on the cross; then he declares his
intention, that he was not going to change the inscription.

We suggest starting your logic journey with The Fallacy Detective: Thirty-Eight Lessons on How to Recognize
Bad Reasoning  (for ages 12 and up).