Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

It's incredibly ironic that this poster features Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle. They all commit ALL of these fallacies with regularity, with the exception perhaps of the Texas Sharpshooter, because in order to commit that one, you actually have to appeal to data.

“Aristotle maintained that women have fewer teeth than men; although he was twice married, it never occurred to him to verify this statement by examining his wives' mouths.” ― Bertrand Russell, The Impact of Science on Society




How is that a logical fallacy? That's just a lack of data and an unwillingness to gather it.


Oh, certainly, that wasn't the point of the quote. I was just pointing out how supremely stupid these guys were, for everything they gave us. But it probably falls lightly under burden of proof.

There's a quote which I thought was from a friend of mine, but when I asked him, he denies ever saying it, so I'm not sure where it's from: "Philosophy is the history of bad arguments." I just quoted Russel, because he's a bit more of a respected authority on the subject.




Consider applying for YC's Spring batch! Applications are open till Feb 11.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: