191:. This clearly constitutes a counter example, which definitively falsifies the universal proposition originally put forward. ('Falsifies' here is, of course, simply the opposite of 'verifies'; and it therefore means 'shows to be false'.) Allowing that this is indeed such a counter example, he ought to withdraw; retreating perhaps to a rather weaker claim about most or some. But even an imaginary Scot is, like the rest of us, human; and none of us always does what we ought to do. So what he is in fact saying is: "No true Scotsman would do such a thing!"
1556:
203:, and "emerging democracies", which may start them, with the "no true Scotsman" fallacy. Spengler alleges that political scientists have attempted to save the "US academic dogma" that democracies never start wars against other democracies from counterexamples by declaring any democracy which does indeed start a war against another democracy to be flawed, thus maintaining that no
186:
Sex Maniac
Strikes Again". Our reader is, as he confidently expected, agreeably shocked: "No Scot would do such a thing!" Yet the very next Sunday he finds in that same favourite source a report of the even more scandalous on-goings of Mr Angus McSporran in
162:, when faced with falsifying facts, is transformed while you wait into an impotent tautology: if ostensible Scotsmen put sugar on their porridge, then this is by itself sufficient to prove them not
56:
by covertly modifying the initial claim. Rather than admitting error or providing evidence that would disqualify the falsifying counterexample, the claim is modified into an
469:
political-science professors... Jack
Mansfield and Ed Snyder distinguish between 'mature democracies', which never, never start wars ('hardly ever', as the captain of the
673:
678:
126:
may be at stake if someone regularly considered to be
Scottish commits a heinous crime. To protect people of Scottish heritage from a possible accusation of
1056:
485:
713:
555:
514:
60:
claim in order to definitionally exclude the undesirable counterexample. The modification is signalled by the use of non-substantive
867:
448:
425:
138:(definitionally) excluded from being part of our group such that they cannot serve as a counterexample to the group's good nature.
1475:
683:
214:
suggested that phrases like "no true
Christian ever kills, no true communist state is repressive" exemplify the fallacy.
1511:
1487:
1076:
1580:
1088:
832:
1098:
473:
sang), and 'emerging democracies', which start them all the time, in fact far more frequently than do dictatorships
415:
1585:
1506:
1063:
959:
109:
57:
49:
1501:
1341:
809:
645:
601:
1521:
1336:
852:
548:
287:
200:
130:, one may use this fallacy to deny that the group is associated with this undesirable member or action. "No
1443:
1433:
1383:
1357:
1133:
1007:
974:
875:
857:
757:
606:
588:
1481:
1469:
1449:
1438:
1353:
1166:
1142:
964:
920:
772:
698:
611:
282:
277:
242:
237:
394:
199:, writing under his pseudonym "Spengler", compared distinguishing between "mature" democracies, which
1496:
1400:
1364:
1279:
1235:
1071:
1002:
792:
621:
596:
297:
272:
247:
232:
196:
1374:
1273:
1220:
1196:
1119:
1022:
954:
880:
693:
688:
665:
640:
127:
1559:
1492:
1306:
1191:
1176:
1123:
1083:
1032:
969:
928:
905:
885:
788:
632:
616:
541:
104:
The "no true
Scotsman" fallacy is committed when the arguer satisfies the following conditions:
75:" of a refuted generalization attempt. The following is a simplified rendition of the fallacy:
1378:
1215:
1205:
1181:
1158:
1114:
1040:
992:
950:
910:
752:
747:
569:
520:
510:
421:
262:
224:
135:
61:
115:
offering a modified assertion that definitionally excludes a targeted unwanted counterexample
1528:
1369:
1268:
1210:
1148:
943:
817:
802:
727:
655:
650:
489:
444:
292:
178:
Imagine some
Scottish chauvinist settled down one Sunday morning with his customary copy of
134:
Scotsman would do something so undesirable"; i.e., the people who would do such a thing are
45:
1249:
1225:
1045:
1017:
997:
845:
813:
797:
267:
80:
1285:
762:
456:
1186:
1171:
1093:
1012:
938:
578:
122:
An appeal to purity is commonly associated with protecting a preferred group. Scottish
68:
53:
1574:
1311:
1201:
933:
896:
840:
708:
703:
307:
211:
72:
31:
1323:
742:
312:
252:
493:
146:
The description of the fallacy in this form is attributed to
British philosopher
1516:
1293:
1230:
257:
147:
17:
89:
Person B: "But my uncle Angus is a
Scotsman and he puts sugar on his porridge."
1426:
1420:
1347:
1259:
524:
123:
1533:
1317:
1301:
984:
488:", P. Brézillon et al. (eds.): CONTEXT 2017, LNAI 10257, pp. 243–253, 2017.
363:
302:
1463:
533:
1411:
188:
84:
486:
Is Flew's No True
Scotsman Fallacy a True Fallacy? A Contextual Analysis
565:
183:
537:
335:
417:
Thinking About
Thinking (or, Do I Sincerely Want to be Right?)
30:
For the practice of wearing a kilt without undergarments, see
64:
such as "true", "pure", "genuine", "authentic", "real", etc.
507:
Rationality, What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters
158:
In this ungracious move a brash generalization, such as
357:
355:
108:
not publicly retreating from the initial, falsified
1410:
1398:
1257:
1248:
1157:
1132:
1107:
1031:
983:
919:
894:
866:
831:
781:
735:
726:
664:
630:
586:
577:
207:democracy starts a war against a fellow democracy.
176:
156:
674:Affirmative conclusion from a negative premise
679:Negative conclusion from affirmative premises
549:
385:
383:
8:
1407:
1254:
1129:
732:
583:
556:
542:
534:
409:
407:
405:
403:
182:. He reads the story under the headline, "
118:using rhetoric to signal the modification
439:
437:
324:
160:No Scotsmen put sugar on their porridge
95:Scotsman puts sugar on his porridge."
330:
328:
7:
48:in which one attempts to protect an
340:Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
25:
1555:
1554:
509:. New York: Viking. p. 88.
449:"No true Scotsman starts a war"
420:. Fontana/Collins. p. 47.
1052:Correlation implies causation
364:"The No-True-Scotsman Fallacy"
150:, who wrote, in his 1966 book
1:
494:10.1007/978-3-319-57837-8_19
71:explains the fallacy as an "
1602:
1476:I'm entitled to my opinion
29:
1550:
1459:
1332:
1502:Motte-and-bailey fallacy
602:Affirming the consequent
52:claim from a falsifying
27:Informal logical fallacy
1522:Two wrongs make a right
853:Denying the correlative
505:Pinker, Steven (2021).
288:Republican in Name Only
172:Thinking About Thinking
1507:Psychologist's fallacy
1444:Argument to moderation
1434:Argument from anecdote
1384:Chronological snobbery
1008:Quoting out of context
975:Overwhelming exception
858:Suppressed correlative
758:Quoting out of context
633:quantificational logic
607:Denying the antecedent
484:Robert Ian Anderson, "
193:
168:
1470:The Four Great Errors
1450:Argumentum ad populum
1439:Argument from silence
1143:Argumentum ad baculum
921:Faulty generalization
612:Argument from fallacy
283:Reification (fallacy)
278:Persuasive definition
243:Democrat in Name Only
238:Caledonian Antisyzygy
180:The News of the World
142:Origin and philosophy
67:Philosophy professor
1488:Invincible ignorance
1294:Reductio ad Stalinum
1280:Reductio ad Hitlerum
1236:Wisdom of repugnance
1003:Moving the goalposts
868:Illicit transference
793:Begging the question
714:Undistributed middle
622:Mathematical fallacy
597:Affirming a disjunct
414:Antony Flew (1975).
391:God & Philosophy
298:Tautology (language)
273:Moving the goalposts
248:Epistemic commitment
233:Begging the question
152:God & Philosophy
128:guilt by association
1221:Parade of horribles
1197:In-group favoritism
1023:Syntactic ambiguity
666:Syllogistic fallacy
589:propositional logic
397:, Hutchinson, 1966.
1581:1971 introductions
1307:Poisoning the well
1124:Proof by assertion
1099:Texas sharpshooter
1033:Questionable cause
970:Slothful induction
929:Anecdotal evidence
789:Circular reasoning
684:Exclusive premises
646:Illicit conversion
91:Person A: "But no
83:puts sugar on his
1568:
1567:
1546:
1545:
1542:
1541:
1482:Ignoratio elenchi
1394:
1393:
1244:
1243:
1206:Not invented here
911:Converse accident
833:Correlative-based
810:Compound question
753:False attribution
748:False equivalence
722:
721:
459:on 5 January 2019
445:Goldman, David P.
263:List of fallacies
170:In his 1975 book
16:(Redirected from
1593:
1586:Verbal fallacies
1558:
1557:
1529:Special pleading
1408:
1269:Appeal to motive
1255:
1231:Stirring symbols
1211:Island mentality
1149:Wishful thinking
1130:
846:Perfect solution
823:No true Scotsman
818:Complex question
803:Leading question
782:Question-begging
768:No true Scotsman
733:
656:Quantifier shift
651:Proof by example
584:
558:
551:
544:
535:
529:
528:
502:
496:
482:
476:
475:
466:
464:
455:. Archived from
441:
432:
431:
411:
398:
387:
378:
377:
375:
374:
362:Curtis, Gary N.
359:
350:
349:
347:
346:
332:
293:Special pleading
201:never start wars
197:David P. Goldman
46:informal fallacy
42:appeal to purity
38:No true Scotsman
21:
18:No True Scotsman
1601:
1600:
1596:
1595:
1594:
1592:
1591:
1590:
1571:
1570:
1569:
1564:
1538:
1512:Rationalization
1455:
1402:
1390:
1328:
1250:Genetic fallacy
1240:
1153:
1128:
1103:
1027:
1018:Sorites paradox
998:False precision
979:
960:Double counting
915:
890:
862:
827:
814:Loaded question
798:Loaded language
777:
718:
660:
626:
573:
562:
532:
517:
504:
503:
499:
483:
479:
462:
460:
447:(31 Jan 2006).
443:
442:
435:
428:
413:
412:
401:
388:
381:
372:
370:
361:
360:
353:
344:
342:
334:
333:
326:
322:
317:
268:Loaded language
220:
205:true and mature
144:
102:
97:
90:
88:
35:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
1599:
1597:
1589:
1588:
1583:
1573:
1572:
1566:
1565:
1563:
1562:
1551:
1548:
1547:
1544:
1543:
1540:
1539:
1537:
1536:
1531:
1526:
1525:
1524:
1514:
1509:
1504:
1499:
1490:
1485:
1478:
1473:
1466:
1460:
1457:
1456:
1454:
1453:
1446:
1441:
1436:
1431:
1430:
1429:
1416:
1414:
1405:
1396:
1395:
1392:
1391:
1389:
1388:
1387:
1386:
1372:
1367:
1362:
1361:
1360:
1351:
1344:
1342:Accomplishment
1333:
1330:
1329:
1327:
1326:
1321:
1314:
1309:
1304:
1299:
1298:
1297:
1290:
1289:
1288:
1271:
1265:
1263:
1252:
1246:
1245:
1242:
1241:
1239:
1238:
1233:
1228:
1223:
1218:
1213:
1208:
1199:
1194:
1189:
1184:
1179:
1174:
1169:
1163:
1161:
1155:
1154:
1152:
1151:
1146:
1138:
1136:
1127:
1126:
1117:
1111:
1109:
1105:
1104:
1102:
1101:
1096:
1094:Slippery slope
1091:
1086:
1081:
1080:
1079:
1069:
1068:
1067:
1060:
1050:
1049:
1048:
1037:
1035:
1029:
1028:
1026:
1025:
1020:
1015:
1013:Slippery slope
1010:
1005:
1000:
995:
989:
987:
981:
980:
978:
977:
972:
967:
962:
957:
948:
947:
946:
941:
939:Cherry picking
931:
925:
923:
917:
916:
914:
913:
908:
902:
900:
892:
891:
889:
888:
883:
878:
872:
870:
864:
863:
861:
860:
855:
850:
849:
848:
837:
835:
829:
828:
826:
825:
820:
807:
806:
805:
795:
785:
783:
779:
778:
776:
775:
770:
765:
760:
755:
750:
745:
739:
737:
730:
724:
723:
720:
719:
717:
716:
711:
706:
701:
696:
691:
686:
681:
676:
670:
668:
662:
661:
659:
658:
653:
648:
643:
637:
635:
628:
627:
625:
624:
619:
614:
609:
604:
599:
593:
591:
581:
575:
574:
563:
561:
560:
553:
546:
538:
531:
530:
516:978-0525561996
515:
497:
477:
433:
426:
399:
379:
351:
323:
321:
318:
316:
315:
310:
305:
300:
295:
290:
285:
280:
275:
270:
265:
260:
255:
250:
245:
240:
235:
230:
221:
219:
216:
206:
174:, Flew wrote:
143:
140:
136:tautologically
133:
124:national pride
120:
119:
116:
113:
101:
98:
94:
79:Person A: "No
77:
69:Bradley Dowden
54:counterexample
26:
24:
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1598:
1587:
1584:
1582:
1579:
1578:
1576:
1561:
1553:
1552:
1549:
1535:
1532:
1530:
1527:
1523:
1520:
1519:
1518:
1515:
1513:
1510:
1508:
1505:
1503:
1500:
1498:
1494:
1491:
1489:
1486:
1484:
1483:
1479:
1477:
1474:
1472:
1471:
1467:
1465:
1462:
1461:
1458:
1452:
1451:
1447:
1445:
1442:
1440:
1437:
1435:
1432:
1428:
1425:
1424:
1423:
1422:
1418:
1417:
1415:
1413:
1409:
1406:
1404:
1397:
1385:
1382:
1381:
1380:
1376:
1373:
1371:
1368:
1366:
1363:
1359:
1355:
1352:
1350:
1349:
1345:
1343:
1340:
1339:
1338:
1335:
1334:
1331:
1325:
1322:
1320:
1319:
1315:
1313:
1310:
1308:
1305:
1303:
1300:
1296:
1295:
1291:
1287:
1284:
1283:
1282:
1281:
1277:
1276:
1275:
1272:
1270:
1267:
1266:
1264:
1262:
1261:
1256:
1253:
1251:
1247:
1237:
1234:
1232:
1229:
1227:
1224:
1222:
1219:
1217:
1214:
1212:
1209:
1207:
1203:
1202:Invented here
1200:
1198:
1195:
1193:
1190:
1188:
1185:
1183:
1180:
1178:
1175:
1173:
1170:
1168:
1165:
1164:
1162:
1160:
1156:
1150:
1147:
1145:
1144:
1140:
1139:
1137:
1135:
1131:
1125:
1121:
1118:
1116:
1113:
1112:
1110:
1106:
1100:
1097:
1095:
1092:
1090:
1087:
1085:
1082:
1078:
1075:
1074:
1073:
1070:
1066:
1065:
1061:
1059:
1058:
1054:
1053:
1051:
1047:
1044:
1043:
1042:
1039:
1038:
1036:
1034:
1030:
1024:
1021:
1019:
1016:
1014:
1011:
1009:
1006:
1004:
1001:
999:
996:
994:
991:
990:
988:
986:
982:
976:
973:
971:
968:
966:
965:False analogy
963:
961:
958:
956:
952:
949:
945:
942:
940:
937:
936:
935:
934:Sampling bias
932:
930:
927:
926:
924:
922:
918:
912:
909:
907:
904:
903:
901:
899:
898:
897:Secundum quid
893:
887:
884:
882:
879:
877:
874:
873:
871:
869:
865:
859:
856:
854:
851:
847:
844:
843:
842:
841:False dilemma
839:
838:
836:
834:
830:
824:
821:
819:
815:
811:
808:
804:
801:
800:
799:
796:
794:
790:
787:
786:
784:
780:
774:
771:
769:
766:
764:
761:
759:
756:
754:
751:
749:
746:
744:
741:
740:
738:
734:
731:
729:
725:
715:
712:
710:
709:Illicit minor
707:
705:
704:Illicit major
702:
700:
697:
695:
692:
690:
687:
685:
682:
680:
677:
675:
672:
671:
669:
667:
663:
657:
654:
652:
649:
647:
644:
642:
639:
638:
636:
634:
629:
623:
620:
618:
615:
613:
610:
608:
605:
603:
600:
598:
595:
594:
592:
590:
585:
582:
580:
576:
571:
567:
559:
554:
552:
547:
545:
540:
539:
536:
526:
522:
518:
512:
508:
501:
498:
495:
491:
487:
481:
478:
474:
472:
458:
454:
450:
446:
440:
438:
434:
429:
427:9780006335801
423:
419:
418:
410:
408:
406:
404:
400:
396:
392:
389:Antony Flew,
386:
384:
380:
369:
368:Fallacy Files
365:
358:
356:
352:
341:
337:
331:
329:
325:
319:
314:
311:
309:
308:True Scotsman
306:
304:
301:
299:
296:
294:
291:
289:
286:
284:
281:
279:
276:
274:
271:
269:
266:
264:
261:
259:
256:
254:
251:
249:
246:
244:
241:
239:
236:
234:
231:
229:
227:
223:
222:
217:
215:
213:
212:Steven Pinker
208:
204:
202:
198:
195:The essayist
192:
190:
185:
181:
175:
173:
167:
165:
161:
155:
153:
149:
141:
139:
137:
131:
129:
125:
117:
114:
111:
107:
106:
105:
99:
96:
92:
86:
82:
76:
74:
73:ad hoc rescue
70:
65:
63:
59:
55:
51:
47:
43:
39:
33:
32:True Scotsman
19:
1497:Naturalistic
1480:
1468:
1448:
1419:
1403:of relevance
1346:
1324:Whataboutism
1316:
1292:
1286:Godwin's law
1278:
1258:
1141:
1134:Consequences
1115:Law/Legality
1089:Single cause
1062:
1055:
895:
822:
767:
763:Loki's Wager
743:Equivocation
736:Equivocation
506:
500:
480:
470:
468:
461:. Retrieved
457:the original
452:
416:
390:
371:. Retrieved
367:
343:. Retrieved
339:
313:Whataboutism
253:Equivocation
225:
209:
194:
179:
177:
171:
169:
163:
159:
157:
151:
145:
121:
110:a posteriori
103:
78:
66:
50:a posteriori
41:
37:
36:
1517:Red herring
1274:Association
955:Conjunction
876:Composition
773:Reification
689:Existential
641:Existential
336:"Fallacies"
258:Gatekeeping
148:Antony Flew
1575:Categories
1493:Moralistic
1427:Sealioning
1421:Ad nauseam
1348:Ipse dixit
1260:Ad hominem
1084:Regression
886:Ecological
699:Four terms
617:Masked man
525:1237806678
463:1 December
453:Asia Times
373:2016-11-12
345:2022-02-09
320:References
228:hypothesis
100:Occurrence
1534:Straw man
1412:Arguments
1401:fallacies
1375:Tradition
1365:Etymology
1337:Authority
1318:Tu quoque
1302:Bulverism
1072:Gambler's
1041:Animistic
985:Ambiguity
951:Base rate
694:Necessity
566:fallacies
303:True Pole
166:Scotsmen.
112:assertion
1560:Category
1192:Ridicule
1177:Flattery
1167:Children
1064:Post hoc
944:McNamara
906:Accident
881:Division
728:Informal
471:Pinafore
218:See also
189:Aberdeen
85:porridge
81:Scotsman
62:rhetoric
58:a priori
1379:Novelty
1354:Poverty
1216:Loyalty
1182:Novelty
1159:Emotion
1108:Appeals
1077:Inverse
1057:Cum hoc
1046:Furtive
564:Common
210:Author
1464:Cliché
1399:Other
1370:Nature
1358:Wealth
993:Accent
579:Formal
523:
513:
424:
395:p. 104
226:Ad hoc
184:Sidcup
44:is an
1226:Spite
1120:Stone
1312:Tone
1187:Pity
1172:Fear
570:list
521:OCLC
511:ISBN
465:2014
422:ISBN
164:true
132:true
93:true
631:In
587:In
490:doi
154:,
40:or
1577::
1495:/
1377:/
1356:/
1204:/
1122:/
953:/
816:/
812:/
791:/
519:.
467:.
451:.
436:^
402:^
393:,
382:^
366:.
354:^
338:.
327:^
87:."
572:)
568:(
557:e
550:t
543:v
527:.
492::
430:.
376:.
348:.
34:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.