No True Scotsman

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This page is part of the EvoWiki encyclopedia of fallacies. Browse: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Contents 1 Synonyms 2 Explanation 3 Category 4 External Links 5 Examples in creationist arguments

Synonyms

• No True Scotsman Fallacy

Explanation

The No True Scotsman fallacy is an ad hoc usage of definitions.

If you made a claim containing a certain word, for example,

• "All Scotsmen eat their porridge with salt, not sugar",

and someone disproves your claim, for example,

• "My friend Fergus eats porridge with sugar, and he's a Scotsman",

you change the definition of the word to make your claim true by default:

• "Then he's not a Real Scotsman."

Category

• Ad hoc
• Fallacy of Presumption
• Fallacy of Ambiguity
• Misuse of Words
• Too Narrow

External Links

• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy [1]
• Wikipedia [2]
• Agnosticism/Atheism [3]

Examples in creationist arguments