Logical Fallacy of False Fallacy / Fallacy Abuse

The logical fallacy of false fallacy occurs when someone claims that something is a fallacy that is not a fallacy.

Examples of the Logical Fallacy of False Fallacy / Fallacy Abuse

Rocky: "God created everything in six days."

Sandy: "Intelligent design is almost entirely based upon the fallacy of ad ignorantiam. The core argument for intelligent design is that there are biological structures that have not been fully explained by evolution, therefore a powerful intelligent designer must have created them. In order to make a positive claim, however, positive evidence for the specific claim must be presented. The absence of another explanation only means that we do not know – it doesn’t mean we get to make up a specific explanation."

Rocky: "The reason that I know that God created everything in six days is not what you have stated. God reveals this to me, actually, to all who are following Jesus Christ."

We could go on with what Sandy would say, but this is enough for the example of the false fallacy. In this case, the false fallacy is kind of a straw man argument.

Rocky: "The reason that I believe in God is because God actually speaks to me. Everyone who follows Christ is led by Christ. His sheep do hear His Voice just as He said. We are learning to acknowledge Him and to respond in obedience. As we do this, we mature spiritually and are able to hear Him more clearly."

Sandy: "That’s a fallacy. God doesn’t speak."

Rocky: "You think this is a fallacy? What fallacy is being committed?"

Sandy: "You are assuming God to say such a thing."

Rocky: "So you are saying that if you observe anything, then you observe it not because it exists but because you are assuming it? For instance, if you observe your car, that doesn’t prove it exists?"

Sandy: "My car is material and only material things exist."

Rocky: "Can you provide any evidence that only material things exist? I and all my really close friends have this same experience of being led by the Holy Spirit, plus there are all the contemporary writings of followers of Christ and poems, songs, and writings of Christ-followers throughout the last 2,000 years."

Sandy: "It’s insane to believe that God speaks to you. You are not experiencing what you think you are experiencing. Your mind can be easily fooled."

Rocky: "I and other followers of Christ are well aware that the human mind can be easily fooled. However, we don’t believe that this is a sound reason to trust the human mind rather than God. In fact, the human mind is fallen and cannot be trusted. The work of the Holy Spirit is to purify our minds that have been ruined by embedded lies. He brings truth and truth sets us free."

Sandy: "What you are saying makes no sense. You have been brainwashed into a fallacy."

And so the conversation continues. Nick is convinced that there is a fallacy somewhere but can’t describe what the fallacy is except by stating reasons that are fallacies in themselves. Every person has a paradigm, a fake-reality. Whatever we sense in the real world that doesn’t match our fake-reality gets filtered out. It seems insane. We pass it off and forget about it. Or we can’t even perceive it. This is what is happening to Nick, and he certainly doesn’t want to go through the discomfort of challenging his own fake-reality.

Questa: "I just can’t believe that the Earth is billions of years old. I have looked at the research, and there is nothing conclusive in any of it. A young Earth just fits the evidence better."

Sandy: "It’s a fallacy to believe in a young Earth."

Questa: "What fallacy."

Sandy: "The young Earth fallacy of course."

To establish that there is such a thing as a "young Earth fallacy," one would have to conclusively and absolutely prove that the Earth is not young.