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.
But even that pleasing paralogism did not suffice for the appetite of tariffism in the way of fallacy.
From Essays in Liberalism Being the Lectures and Papers Which Were Delivered at the Liberal Summer School at Oxford, 1922 by Various
The paralogism included in the very enunciation of the parallelist thesis is explained in a memoire presented to the Geneva International Philosophical Congress in 1904.
From A New Philosophy: Henri Bergson by Benson, Vincent
He's quiet enough now, but you just wait till he gets another paralogism.
From Cobwebs from an Empty Skull by Bierce, Ambrose
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
The paralogism of Vega as to this perplexing question seems to lurk in the position that God gives a law which it is impossible we should obey collectively.
From The Literary Remains of Samuel Taylor Coleridge by Coleridge, Henry Nelson
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.
