The Fallacy Fallacy
Assuming a claim must be false just because the argument for it was flawed.
- informal
The fallacy fallacy (argument from fallacy) concludes that because an argument for a claim contains a fallacy, the claim itself must be false. But a poorly argued position can still be true — the failure of one argument doesn't prove the opposite conclusion; it just means that particular argument doesn't establish anything.
Examples
- “He argued the bridge is unsafe by appealing to fear, so the bridge must actually be safe.”
- “Your reasoning for eating vegetables was just a bandwagon appeal, so vegetables clearly aren't healthy.”
Why it works & how to counter
Persuasive because spotting a fallacy feels like winning the whole dispute. Counter it by separating the quality of an argument from the truth of its conclusion — a bad argument leaves the question open, not settled.