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A fallacy is a defect in an argument other than its having false premises. Fallacies are divided into two types: formal and informal. A formal fallacy is a fallacy that can be identified by inspecting the form of the argument. Any argument that has an invalid form has committed a formal fallacy. For example: "All A are B; all A are C; therefore all B are C" contains a formal fallacy. An informal fallacy is a fallacy that, in order to be identified, requires an analysis of the content of the argument and not just an inspection of the form of the argument. For example, "George Bush is no friend of mine; no friend of mine is a Chinese communist; therefore, George Bush is a Chinese communist." While it may appear to have a valid form, it is clearly fallacious. Because detecting the fallaciousness of this argument depends on understanding the content—in particular the meaning of "no friend of mine"—the argument contains an informal fallacy.



Informal fallacies can be......

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