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Fallacies in Logic (augmented learning with ChatGPT)

For gaining power by wits and manipulation

This piece is my attempt at integrating the knowledge about — “How to live among the earthlings, including humans?”. In Hindi (हिंंदी ) we call it SAMsArik JNAn (सांसारिक ज्ञान) and in Vernacular lingo that’s used on the streets of India — duniyAdArI (दुनियादारी).

A couple of months ago, in a conversation with Yashu, Chiku, Krushank and Simran, it came up that — kitAboM meM duniyAdArI nahIN sikhAI jAtI (किताबोंं मेंं दुनियादारी नहींं सिखाई जाती). It means — they don’t show how to stay fearless among equals, obedient amongst learned and guardian amongst pupil. To some extent this is understood by the name of Dharma in the southern part of Asia.

“I, personally, have been learning about this DuniyAdArI or धर्म or simply put — ‘how to live in the society’ — by being observant of people who were born before I was born, I read the books that were put in front of my eyes without discrimination, until a later stage when I did discriminate based on needs of the hour, context of my interest, needs of the near and far future body of my current dwelling, based on how gracefully I let the body age, based on how I let the events around me shape it, based on how gracefully I give back to our collective knowledge pool that nurtures the beings who would be born after me, by being aware of it all at the tip of the time, and based on self curiosity. I relied on consistently trying to traverse new roads in cities, towns and villages around the globe. “ — RANA ShA (राणा सा)

Let’s dive right in.

Let’s begin with that which looks like Knowledge but isn’t Knowledge. I believe we call it — Fallacy. If we can train ourselves on identifying fallacies then we can stay course of attaining wisdom.

Definition of “Fallacy” from Oxford Languages, afforded by Google search and restated by the author — “It’s a noun that means — A mistaken belief that is based on unsound argument. Unsound, according to the same source, here, means — not based on necessary and sufficient set of evidence or reasoning and therefore unreliable or unacceptable.”

Question : What’s the exhaustive list of logical fallacies understood in various cultures around the globe? What are some of the non-fiction books that discuss these fallacies?

I got curious about whether there exists an exhaustive list of fallacies somewhere. I did what anyone in the age of Industry 5.0 would do — 1. Google Search, 2. ChatGPT chatting and last but not the least — 3. Some Thinking about how useful the knowledge would be in terms of its practical applicability. Here’s the result:

Google Search

The best, according to the author, result is hosted at utminers.utep.edu/omwilliamson/ENGL1311/fallacies.htm, aka. — “Master List of Logical Fallacies”. This source lists 146 fallacies. Let’s take a look at the second in the list — “Ableism”. I never knew about this. The web page says it’s similar to these equally bizarre fallacies — “The Con Artist’s Fallacy”, “The Dacoit’s Fallacy”, “Shearing the Sheeple”, “Profiteering”, “Vulture Capitalism”, “Wealth is a disease, and I am the cure.”. I am sure anyone would enjoy reading this web page for practical knowledge of living among the earthlings in this vast world.

ChatGPT chatting

AKS : What’s the exhaustive list of logical fallacies understood in various cultures around the globe? What the the non-fiction books that discuss these fallacies?

ChatGPT : The exhaustive list of logical fallacies understood in various cultures around the globe is a complex and evolving topic. Different cultures and traditions may recognize different fallacies and have their own ways of understanding and classifying them. Some commonly recognized fallacies include ad hominem, straw man, false dilemma, appeal to authority, and slippery slope.

There are many non-fiction books that discuss logical fallacies and provide examples of their use in various contexts. Some popular books on this topic include:

1. “The Art of Reasoning” by David Kelley. I glanced at this book. You’d love this extracted piece from the book — “The essence of objectivity is the ability to step back from our train of thought and examine it critically. This is a virtue because it is the only way to avoid jumping to conclusions, the only way to check the results of our thinking, the only way to make sure that we are in touch with the facts. The results of our thinking cannot be any better than the processes by which we arrive at them. There is no Book of Life with answers in the back where we can see whether we got it right. Good thinking is a self-directed, self correcting process, and you are the only one who can take responsibility for steering your own mind in the right direction. The methods and standards we discuss in this book will give you a compass.”
2. “Thinking Critically” by John Chaffee.
3. “The Fallacy Detective” by Nathaniel Bluedorn and Hans Bluedorn
4. “Logic Made Easy” by Deborah J. Bennett
5. “How to Read a Book” by Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren

These five books mentioned above provide an in-depth understanding of logical fallacies and their uses, as well as practical tools for identifying and avoiding fallacious reasoning.

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I, personally, have interest in keeping abreast with the epistemology of my forefathers. With that context this is the question I asked to ChatGPT —

AKS : Very well. Are there books about these fallacies from the discipline of Indology?

]

ChatGPT : Yes, there are several books on logical fallacies from the discipline of Indology. Indology is the academic study of South Asian cultures and languages, including Indian philosophy, literature, and religion. Here are some examples of books on logical fallacies from the perspective of Indology:

“Fallacies in Indian Logic” by V.N. Jha — This book explores the different types of fallacies found in Indian logic systems, including Nyaya, Vaisheshika, and Buddhist logics.

“Indian Logic: A Reader” edited by Jonardon Ganeri — This anthology includes selections from ancient Indian texts on logic, including discussions of fallacies and their classifications.

“Logic and Debate in Indian Philosophy” by Shyam Ranganathan — This book provides an overview of Indian philosophical traditions, with a focus on their logical and argumentative methods, including the identification and avoidance of fallacies.

Some Thinking by AKS

As a Reliability Engineer we tend to think in terms of frameworks that are built by a large group of professionals who have worked in the discipline of Reliability Engineering. A major concern is the unpredictability that comes with events that could occur. Culture, the interaction of individuals in a team, determines how hard or difficult it would be to achieve reliability at work. The same is true about personal life when we interact with public services and when we interact with loved ones. Knowledge of healthy manners of interaction with the society at large has been the subject of this discussion, we can call it by various names — “Code”, “Policy”, “Culture”, ”Society”, “DuniyAdArI”, “SaMsAra” or “Dharma”.

There are a multitude of content written about power and influence that people tend to acquire by leveraging psychology of individuals and groups of people. One such book is — “The 48 laws of Power” by Robert Greene. This books seems to be inspired, in terms of writing style, by books like Hitopadesha by Narayan Pandit. The book — Hitopadesha (हितोपदेशः) has 4 sections in it, viz. मित्रलाभ (diplomacy) that is — Gain of friendly alliances and collaborators, सुहृद्भेद (estrangement) that is — Creating rift between two friends, विग्रह (war), सन्धि (agreement). But, unlike Hitopadesha, in 48 Laws of Power, we observe that multiple stories are not woven together in a seamless narrative.

Here’s a list of 8 other such books (thanks to ChatGPT in providing the following content):

1. “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu: This classic Chinese text provides insights into military strategy and tactics, as well as principles that can be applied to other areas of life.
2. “The Prince” by Niccolo Machiavelli: This political treatise examines the nature of power and the methods that rulers can use to maintain it.
3. “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius: This collection of personal writings by the Roman emperor offers guidance on leadership, self-discipline, and personal ethics.
4. “The Book of Five Rings” by Miyamoto Musashi: This Japanese text explores the strategies and techniques of swordsmanship, and how they can be applied to other areas of life.
5. “The 33 Strategies of War” by Robert Greene: This book provides strategies and tactics for achieving victory in a variety of competitive situations, from military campaigns to business negotiations.
6. “The Laws of Human Nature” by Robert Greene: This book explores the fundamental drives and motivations that influence human behavior, and how to use this knowledge to gain power and influence.
7. “The Rational Male” by Rollo Tomassi: This book offers a “red pill” perspective on gender dynamics, and provides insights into the social and psychological factors that influence male-female relationships.
8. “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle: This spiritual book teaches readers how to live in the present moment, and to let go of attachment to past and future events.