paralogism
Americannoun
-
argument violating principles of valid reasoning.
-
a conclusion reached through such argument.
noun
-
logic psychol an argument that is unintentionally invalid Compare sophism
-
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.
Finally, according to this theory of Dr. T., he and all those who reason like him, are chargeable, I think, with a palpable paralogism they reason in a circle.
From Calvinistic Controversy Embracing a Sermon on Predestination and Election and Several Numbers, Formally Published in the Christian Advocate and Journal. by Fisk, Wilbur
This is a mere paralogism; we can never infer either absolute or infinite from relative or finite.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 6 "Coucy-le-Château" to "Crocodile" by Various
In this manner the paralogism has its foundation in the nature of human reason, and is the parent of an unavoidable, though not insoluble, mental illusion.
From The Critique of Pure Reason by Meiklejohn, John Miller Dow
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
This we conceive to be the boldest paralogism that ever was offered to the world, or palmed upon willing credulity.
From The Spirit of the Age Contemporary Portraits by Hazlitt, William
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.
