Perspectival Logical Fallacies: Definitions and Examples

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Perspectival

Errors caused by the wrong vantage point, historical standpoint, or interpretive frame.

How to spot it

13 fallacies in this category.

Would the conclusion change if the frame, timeline, or viewpoint were widened?

Examples in this category

Appeal to novelty Appeal to tradition Chronological snobbery False balance Historian's fallacy

+8 more listed below.

Category vs. family

A category is a diagnostic lens, so a fallacy may appear in more than one category. A family is the broader umbrella that gives the fallacy its single main home.

Appeal to novelty

Occurs when something is treated as better mainly because it is new, cutting-edge, or marketed as the future.

PerspectivalEvidentialEmotional

Intermediate Intro college

Appeal to novelty companion poster in a retro mid-century editorial cartoon style, illustrating occurs when something is treated as better mainly because it is new, cutting-edge, or marketed as the future.

Appeal to tradition

Occurs when a claim or practice is defended mainly because it has a long history, customary status, or familiar place in a community.

PerspectivalEvidentialEmotional

Intermediate Intro college

Appeal to tradition companion poster in a retro mid-century editorial cartoon style, illustrating occurs when a claim or practice is defended mainly because it has a long history, customary status, or familiar place in a community.

Chronological snobbery

Occurs when an idea is dismissed mainly because it is old, premodern, or associated with a period that also held many false beliefs.

EvidentialPerspectival

Intermediate High school

Chronological snobbery companion poster in a retro mid-century editorial cartoon style, illustrating occurs when an idea is dismissed mainly because it is old, premodern, or associated with a period that also held many false beliefs.

False balance

Occurs when a dispute is presented as if the competing sides were roughly equal in credibility or evidential support even though the evidence is not remotely balanced.

PerspectivalEvidential

Intermediate Intro college

False balance companion poster in a retro mid-century editorial cartoon style, illustrating occurs when a dispute is presented as if the competing sides were roughly equal in credibility or evidential support even though the evidence is not remotely balanced.

Historian's fallacy

Occurs when people in the past are judged as if they had the same information, background assumptions, and hindsight available to later observers.

Perspectival

Intermediate Intro college

Historian's fallacy companion poster in a retro mid-century editorial cartoon style, illustrating occurs when people in the past are judged as if they had the same information, background assumptions, and hindsight available to later observers.

Homunculus fallacy

Occurs when a mind-like inner observer is smuggled in to explain mind-like abilities, thereby postponing rather than solving the explanation.

ConceptualPerspectival

Intermediate Intro college

Homunculus fallacy companion poster in a retro mid-century editorial cartoon style, illustrating occurs when a mind-like inner observer is smuggled in to explain mind-like abilities, thereby postponing rather than solving the explanation.

Human standard fallacy

Occurs when a human classification, rule, or label is treated as if it automatically determined the underlying fact or moral status.

ConceptualPerspectival

Intermediate Intro college

Human standard fallacy companion poster in a retro mid-century editorial cartoon style, illustrating occurs when a human classification, rule, or label is treated as if it automatically determined the underlying fact or moral status.

Intentional fallacy

Occurs when the creator's intended meaning is treated as irrelevant in contexts where that intention is actually important to understanding the work or statement.

PerspectivalLinguistic

Advanced Intro college

Intentional fallacy companion poster in a retro mid-century editorial cartoon style, illustrating occurs when the creator's intended meaning is treated as irrelevant in contexts where that intention is actually important to understanding the work or statement.

Pathetic fallacy

Occurs when human feelings, intentions, or judgments are projected onto impersonal things and then treated as if the projection explained reality.

ConceptualPerspectival

Advanced Intro college

Pathetic fallacy companion poster in a retro mid-century editorial cartoon style, illustrating occurs when human feelings, intentions, or judgments are projected onto impersonal things and then treated as if the projection explained reality.

Psychologist's fallacy

Occurs when someone projects their own motives, fears, or mental structure onto others and treats that projection as insight into those other people.

Perspectival

Intermediate Intro college

Psychologist's fallacy companion poster in a retro mid-century editorial cartoon style, illustrating occurs when someone projects their own motives, fears, or mental structure onto others and treats that projection as insight into those other people.

Reification

Occurs when an abstraction is spoken of as if it were a concrete agent or thing in a way that misleads rather than merely using harmless metaphor.

ConceptualLinguisticPerspectival

Advanced Intro college

Reification companion poster in a retro mid-century editorial cartoon style, illustrating occurs when an abstraction is spoken of as if it were a concrete agent or thing in a way that misleads rather than merely using harmless metaphor.

Retrospective determinism

Occurs when, after an outcome happens, people claim it was inevitable or obvious all along even though the uncertainty beforehand was real.

CausalPerspectival

Intermediate Intro college

Retrospective determinism companion poster in a retro mid-century editorial cartoon style, illustrating occurs when, after an outcome happens, people claim it was inevitable or obvious all along even though the uncertainty beforehand was real.

Spotlight fallacy

Occurs when the most visible or most covered cases in a category are treated as if they represent the category as a whole.

Perspectival

Advanced Intro college

Spotlight fallacy companion poster in a retro mid-century editorial cartoon style, illustrating occurs when the most visible or most covered cases in a category are treated as if they represent the category as a whole.