4 ms·
I'm fascinated by the idea of a "correct fallacy." How could such a thing ever make sense? Are you saying that you use this fallacy to reach a conclusion that
by readams 11y ago
I'm fascinated by the idea of a "correct fallacy." How could such a thing ever make sense? Are you saying that you use this fallacy to reach a conclusion that you believe correct for other reasons? If so, why not state those other reasons and not use your fallacious reasoning? If not, how could your fallacy be correct?
- Tomte 11y agoMe too. :-) I think that this fallacy is correct in the sense that averting extreme outcomes at the cost of a lower expected outcome is rational when it comes to survival. I suspect you might be able to explain the existence of those "irrational" behaviours this way, although I haven't searched the literature. Kind of the opposite of playing the lottery (which I also find rational, despite all the nerds decrying it): There you are giving up expected value, in order to gain variance.
- Retra 11y agoSomething is not rational simply because you think it is. A decision is rational if and only if the invested resources are proportional to the likelihood of success. A fallacy is a fallacy because it violates this proportionality. Fallacious reasoning can never be rational.