The Fallacy Fallacy, also known as the “Argument from Fallacy,” occurs when someone assumes that, because an argument contains a logical fallacy, the conclusion of the argument must necessarily be false. In other words, just because an argument is poorly constructed doesn’t mean the conclusion it is trying to support is untrue.
Example:
Person A: “All crows are birds. All birds can fly. Therefore, all crows can fly.”
Person B: “Your argument is flawed because not all birds can fly. For example, ostriches are birds, but they can’t fly. Therefore, your conclusion that all crows can fly must be wrong.”
In this case, Person B correctly identifies a flaw in Person A’s argument: not all birds can fly. However, Person B then commits the Fallacy Fallacy by assuming that, because Person A’s argument is flawed, the conclusion that “all crows can fly” must also be wrong. In reality, the conclusion is true; all crows can fly, even if the argument used to support that conclusion was flawed.
The Fallacy Fallacy is important to recognize because it reminds us that a conclusion should not be dismissed solely because the argument supporting it is flawed. One should examine the conclusion itself and look for other evidence or arguments that may support or refute it.
