Logically Fallacious: The Ultimate Collection of Over 300 Logical Fallacies (Academic Edition) (Dr. Bo's Critical Thinking Series)

by Bo Bennett

No True Scotsman (also known as: appeal to purity [form of], no true Christian, no true crossover fallacy [form of]) Description: When a universal (“all,” “every,” etc.) claim is refuted, rather than conceding the point or meaningfully revising the claim, the claim is altered by going from universal to specific, and failing to give any objective criteria for the specificity. Logical Form: All X are Y. (the claim that all X are Y is clearly refuted) Then all true X are Y. Example #1: In 2011, Christian broadcaster, Harold Camping, (once again) predicted the end of the world via Jesus, and managed to get many Christians to join his alarmist campaign. During this time, and especially after the Armageddon date had passed, many Christian groups publicly declared that Camping is not a “true Christian.” On a personal note, I think Camping was and is as much of a Christian as any other self-proclaimed Christian and religious/political/ethical beliefs aside, I give him credit for having the cojones to make a falsifiable claim about his religious beliefs. Example #2: John: Members of the UbaTuba White Men’s Club are upstanding citizens of the community. Marvin: Then why are there so many of these members in jail? John: They were never true UbaTuba White Men’s Club members. Marvin: What’s a true UbaTuba White Men’s Club member? John: Those who don’t go to jail.