paralogism
Americannoun
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argument violating principles of valid reasoning.
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a conclusion reached through such argument.
noun
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logic psychol an argument that is unintentionally invalid Compare sophism
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any invalid argument or conclusion
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of paralogism
1555–65; < Late Latin paralogismus < Greek paralogismós. See para- 1, logo-, -ism
Explanation
A paralogism is an unintentionally misleading argument. Even if your friend has convinced himself it's true, you'll still be frustrated by his paralogism, "I never wash my hands because germs are actually good for you!" The Greek root of paralogism is paralogismos, "reason falsely," and it's where people end up when they base a belief or statement on false reasoning. It's mainly used in rhetoric and philosophy for a fallacy the speaker believes is true, rather than one deliberately meant to deceive someone. It's a paralogism to conclude that because your plane flight went smoothly when you wore your lucky socks, you won't be safe on airplanes without them.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I have before alluded to the faults of logic which are Protestant necessities: but I never said that Protestant argument had nothing but paralogism.
From A Budget of Paradoxes, Volume II by Smith, David Eugene
The two senses of the word "correlation" must be carefully distinguished; it would be a downright paralogism to adopt one of them in the premisses of the reasoning, and the other in the conclusion.
From Creative Evolution by Mitchell, Arthur
Malebranche eluded the question, and could not assign the paralogism, after which Mairan so earnestly sought: ‘It is not that the paralogism is in such or such places of the Ethique, it is everywhere.’
From A Theodicy, or, Vindication of the Divine Glory by Bledsoe, Albert Taylor
Thus it is evident that in all such arguments there lurks a paralogism.
From The Critique of Pure Reason by Meiklejohn, John Miller Dow
A man, who was sensible of this paralogism, could never take Mr Arnold’s views on Church and Religion at all.
From Matthew Arnold by Saintsbury, George
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
