Category Archives: Logic

‘No True Scotsman’ Logical Fallacy

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Mr Melican

Imagine Hamish McDonald, a Scotsman, sitting down with his Glasgow Morning Herald and seeing an article about how the “Brighton Sex Maniac Strikes Again.” Hamish is shocked and declares that “No Scotsman would do such a thing.” [Brighton is not … Continue reading →

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Abductive Reasoning

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Mr Melican

Abductive reasoning is an argument to the best explanation. “My lawn is wet. If it were raining last night my lawn would be wet. Therefore it was probably raining last night.” In reality there may be many reasons to explain … Continue reading →

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What is NOT an Argument?

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Mr Melican

Premises, propositions and conclusions — the pieces of arguments — may usually be easy to spot, but arguments themselves aren’t always so easy, and very often people will offer things which they claim are arguments but definitely are not. Too … Continue reading →

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Introduction to Logic:

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Mr Melican

Introduction to Logic: The term “logic” is used quite a lot, but not always in its technical sense. Logic, strictly speaking, is the science or study of how to evaluate arguments and reasoning. Logic is what allows us to distinguish … Continue reading →

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