Wishful Thinking

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Contents 1 Synonyms 2 Explanation 2.1 Example 2.2 Counter example 3 Category 4 Subfallacies 5 Twin Fallacy 6 External Links 7 Examples in creationist arguments

Synonyms

• Moralistic fallacy
• Appeal to Hope
• Ought-Is

Explanation

Wishful Thinking means that you take your wishes for reality. That is, believing that what ought to be true is true. However, if this belief were true, our wishes would always come true. Clearly, this is not the case.

Example

1. If special creation is true, then humans are made in the image of an all-powerful creator.
2. I want to be have been made in the image of a creator.
3. Therefore, special creation is true.

This is fallacious because the listener is so pleased by the prospect of being made by a creator, in the image of a creator, that they accept special creation as true, based solely on the strong wish for it to be true.

Counter example

1. If Biblical creation is true, then humans are degenerate because of Original sin.
   Further I’m descended from incestuous relationships because the children of Adam and Eve could only find close relatives as partners.
2. I don’t want to be descended from incest and from sinners. I don't want to be tainted with original sin.
3. Therefore, special creation as taught in the Bible is false.

Creationists will probably see easily that the second example is fallacious and purely wishful thinking. They are less likely to see that the first is unreasonable.

Category

• Emotional Appeal
• Appeal to Consequences
• Red Herring
• Conceptual Fallacy

Subfallacies

• Escape to the Future
• Self-righteousness
• Word Magic

Twin Fallacy

• Is-Ought

External Links

• Fallacy Files [1]
• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy [2]
• Wikipedia [3]
• Bruce Thompson [4]
• Global Tester [5]
• Skeptic's Dictionary [6]
• Gordon, Hanks, & Zhu [7]

Examples in creationist arguments

• Do you want to be descended from a monkey?
• Intelligent design is mainstream