3 Lesser-Known Logical Fallacies

Key points

Noticing errors in our reasoning can help us communicate more clearly and make more rational decisions.

The appeal-to-stone fallacy dismisses a claim instead of engaging with it.

The fallacy of composition treats a complex whole as the simple sum of its parts.

The historian’s fallacy leads to judging past decisions unfairly.

Logical fallacies are flaws in reasoning. They are often called informal fallacies. It's becoming more common for people to call out these fallacies by name. You often hear accusations of people engaging in “ad hominem,” “appeal to nature,” and “straw man” thinking, for example. Some logical fallacies, however, are prevalent and yet rarely discussed. Here are three of them.

1. Appeal to Stone

A: “ Screen time effects depend on context.”

B: “That’