Toby_Ord2 comments on The Genetic Fallacy - Less Wrong

22 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 11 July 2008 05:47AM

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Comment author: Toby_Ord2 11 July 2008 09:52:09AM 1 point [-]

One thing to be aware of when considering logical fallacies is that there are two ways in which people consider something to be a fallacy. On the strict account, it is a form of argumentation that doesn't rule out all cases in which the conclusion is false. Appeals to authority and considerations of the history of a claim are obviously fallacious in this sense. The loose account is a form of argumentation that is deeply flawed. It is in this sense that appeal to authority and considerations of the history of a claim may not be fallacious, for they sometimes give us some useful reasons to believe or disbelieve in the claim. Certain considerations don't give deductive (logical) validity, but do give Bayesian support.