Appeal to the Stone [#FallacyFridays]
Welcome to #FallacyFridays, the series where we explore all of the flaws in our reasoning so that we know which types of arguments to avoid making. Today’s fallacy is pretty popular on social media and even in offline discussions and debates. It’s called the Appeal to the Stone fallacy. Read on to learn about how it works so you can take a quiz at the end to test your understanding of it. 🤓
Before we get into the nitty gritty of the appeal to the stone fallacy, I want you to think about the most absurd argument you have ever heard. Bonus points if the mere thought of this argument gets you cackling.
Got it in your mind?
Now I want you to tell me why that argument is flawed or incorrect.
Wait…are you saying that you think it’s obvious why it’s a bad argument? You think it is not worth explaining?
Well, if that is you, you may have just committed the appeal to the stone fallacy. 😬
The appeal to the stone fallacy (also known as argumentum ad lapidem) occurs when someone dismisses an argument as absurd without explaining why that is the case.
To better understand how this fallacy works, let’s look at some examples.
Example #1 of the appeal to the stone fallacy
Maggie and Nina are hooked on the new dating show that premiered earlier this month.
“Eric is a much better match for Carla than Bryan. It’s actually makes no sense why the show decided to set her up with Bryan,” Maggie says.
But Nina isn’t convinced. “Eh…really, Maggie? Why do you think so?”
Maggie is a bit confused by Nina’s question.
“I mean…isn’t it obvious,” Maggie asks.
Nina shrugs. And both of them continue to watch the show as if nothing happened.
Now, nowhere in Maggie’s response did she justify why she thought Carla and Bryan was an absurd matchup compared to Carla and Eric. It’s clear she didn’t care to.
Much like Maggie, the appeal to the stone fallacy offender tends to feel that the reason for their position is self-evident without need for an explicit justification. And it is this attitude that makes them prone to committing said fallacy.
We are most prone to using the appeal to the stone fallacy when we care more about saying something is absurd than actually showing why that is the case. Click To TweetExample #2 of the Appeal to the Stone
Let’s look at this conversation between Jo and Reggie.
Jo: I think it would be better if we took a break from each other. Our relationship is putting a strain on the both of us with our very busy lives.
Reggie: It does not have to be this way, Jo. Breaking up is ridiculous.
Jo: As much as it will hurt, breaking up is the sensible thing to do. Why do you think it’s ridiculous that we break up?
Reggie: Man, quit playing dumb, Jo. This whole conversation does not need to happen. It’s very clear why breaking up is ridiculous.
Reggie was a bit harsh with his response, wasn’t he? Not only did he not justify why it would be ridiculous for he and Jo to break up, he resorted to using the ad hominem fallacy against Jo by telling her “Quit playing dumb.”
It’s pretty common for the appeal to the stone fallacy to be accompanied with other logical fallacies. For some people, it isn’t enough that they want to make their claim of absurdity or incorrectness without justifying it. They might want to put down the person (ad hominem), sidetrack the conversation entirely (red herring), or use any other logical fallacy to sway away from their unjustified stance.
The appeal to the stone fallacy tends to be accompanied with other logical fallacies like ad hominem. Click To TweetQuiz time!
Now that you have learned how the appeal to the stone fallacy works, it is time to test your understanding of it! Which of the following answer choices contains the appeal to the stone?
A. Nonso: “Problem #32 is ridiculously difficult. How do you even begin to solve it?”
Kyla: “Have you looked on page 29? It tells you how to solve that type of problem.”
B. Justin: “Granger should not be a starting player for our soccer team.”
Henry: “Why?”
Justin: “Are you for real right now? You of all people shouldn’t be asking me why. You have a tendency to ask, ‘why’ to these kinds of questions.”
C. Yemi: “I’m asking Corbin to be my date for prom.”
Regina: “OMG are you serious?”
Yemi: “Yeah! I mean, why not? Look at him! He’s gorgeous!”
D. Isai: “Logan, given what we have to lose, I think it’s better if we don’t invest in Yorba Corp.”
Logan: “I agree with you. Let’s look elsewhere.”
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