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  1. Heisenberg

    The Fallacy Game (Name the logical fallacy)

    Yes! You done everything but name the fallacy. Good job seeing that it applies to card games. The Gambler's fallacy occurs when we decide that something happening more frequently than normal will later be balanced out by a period of that something happening less frequently than normal, or...
  2. Heisenberg

    The Fallacy Game (Name the logical fallacy)

    Name this fallacy: My uncle tells me I shouldn't be afraid to ride the wooden roller coaster at Six Flags. He says that in 30 years no one has ever been injured and the ride has never had a major malfunction. To me, that just means the coaster is overdue for a tragedy. Something bad is...
  3. Heisenberg

    The Fallacy Game (Name the logical fallacy)

    I'm not sure there is a short list, but here's the one that got me started. They've actually added a lengthy introduction to it since I stumbled on it. I think the fallacies are mostly listed in order of prevalence, but that depends a lot on the types of subjects you argue and the people you...
  4. Heisenberg

    The Fallacy Game (Name the logical fallacy)

    There is no problem with the form of the logic, however it is an analogical argument. You are saying that because two things are alike in some way, they must also be alike in other ways. This may or may not be true. So while we cannot fault your argument for being formally fallacious, we...
  5. Heisenberg

    Paranormal Experience

    If there is one thing that has been debunked more than ghosts, it's regressive hypnotic therapy. Hypnosis doesn't seem to be a unique brain state, at least not one that can be distinguished from deep relaxation coupled with heightened but narrow focus. Of course, such a relaxed state can be...
  6. Heisenberg

    Paranormal Experience

    It is odd that if poltergeists are real, they seem to only manifest themselves in ways that can easily be mimicked by petty stage tricks or video software. Chi masters seem to have the same problem. Whenever they demonstrate their powers over Chi, they find that some pesky stage magician has...
  7. Heisenberg

    Paranormal Experience

    Sounds freaky indeed! I'm afraid I don't have any easy explanations. I have had light bulbs do exactly what you are describing. In fact, there is one I can't reach in the back room that does it every time I go in there. It crackles and crunches and pulses, and when I turn off the light, it...
  8. Heisenberg

    The Fallacy Game (Name the logical fallacy)

    That line could be considered a strawman if in a slightly different context. In my example it's being used to explain a lack of evidence. But people say something very similar when they accuse skeptics of being closed-minded cynics. They say skeptics don't want to get to the truth, that they...
  9. Heisenberg

    The Fallacy Game (Name the logical fallacy)

    Philosophical razors are tools meant to help us "shave off" unlikely explanations for a phenomenon. That doesn't mean we decide those explanations are wrong, but that other explanations are more worthy of our attention. If we investigate the most likely explanations and they do not pan out, we...
  10. Heisenberg

    The Fallacy Game (Name the logical fallacy)

    Very good! Special pleading is what people use to get out of being proved wrong, or to explain away inconvenient evidence (or the lack of). The classic example is when a psychic agrees to controlled scientific testing and then, upon failing the test, they find a reason why the test didn't...
  11. Heisenberg

    The Fallacy Game (Name the logical fallacy)

    Name this fallacy: Skeptics fail to realize that ghosts only show themselves to those who believe. A skeptical outlook automatically closes the mind to the truth. That's why skeptical investigators never find evidence of ghosts.
  12. Heisenberg

    The Fallacy Game (Name the logical fallacy)

    Well, it could be cherry picking or biased sample if this guy knows of people who are ill because of smoking but discounts them because he hasn't personally seen them. Just how big of an idiot is this guy? ;) Texas sharpshooter can be tricky to set up. The bones of the fallacy is when you...
  13. Heisenberg

    The Fallacy Game (Name the logical fallacy)

    I think argument from anecdote (or personal experience) fits very well. But, let's steelman the argument. This argument can be interpreted in two ways, one being more ridiculous than the other. To be charitable, lets assume the less ridiculous version. He could be saying that if bad effects...
  14. Heisenberg

    The Fallacy Game (Name the logical fallacy)

    Arguments can have more than one fallacy for sure, but what you stated is just a tautology. It was also set up as a syllogism, which means 2 propositions. We can use logic to evaluate the truth value of propositions, but propositions just state that something is or isn't true. They are...
  15. Heisenberg

    The Fallacy Game (Name the logical fallacy)

    It looks like you are begging the question. Your conclusion is just a restatement of your premises. Although it looks like you have two premises, you actually only have one. Saying we should avoid negative impacts is the same as saying we should only have positive impacts. So the logic...
  16. Heisenberg

    What if you found out your purpose in life was meaningless?

    I agree with your premise. I don't agree with your conclusion. Those things do not indicate that life has no meaning, but rather that meaning dies with you like everything else. Meaning is just another part of your identity. In the same way that your preferences, your tastes for foods, your...
  17. Heisenberg

    How to let the athiest know our God is real

    I'm glad you're finding it useful. Most people consider these types of subjects to be very dry and tedious. If you find yourself craving even more when you are done, try the book Thinking Fast and Slow, which will teach you about system 1 (intuitive) vs system 2 (analytical) thinking...
  18. Heisenberg

    How to let the athiest know our God is real

    Try this while it lasts. http://www.bilibili.com/video/av14057393/#page=1
  19. Heisenberg

    How to let the athiest know our God is real

    This is the reason I do not follow any atheist pages on Facebook. I've never found one that was anything more than trolling. Because there are many paths that can lead to atheism, and because there are no underlying tenets to unite them, atheists run the gamut from enlightened thinkers to...
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