Then you can throw fallacy 38 back at them (Deliberate Ignorance). My reaction upon starting reading, was that most of the "fallacies" covered are thought patt

Then you can throw fallacy 38 back at them (Deliberate Ignorance). My reaction upon starting reading, was that most of the "fallacies" covered are thought patterns that are sometimes useful and sometimes bad. In other words, for most of them, saying that the pattern is always wrong or always right are both fallacious. This is covered by fallacy 42 (Either/Or). Also, while each "fallacy" is not universally true, they can still be useful for two reasons: 1) They can be used in bad faith (to manipulate people who are likely to fall for them). For this, knowing this list can provide "Defence Against the Dark Arts" 2) To break out of indecision, or to avoid a decision when indecision is better. May of the "falacies" have a set of situation where their claim is valid For instance: A: Let's say your brother owns a business that is, and alwyas has been losing money, and comes to you to ask you to invest in his business. If you don't see any reason why the business should become profitable, you could say "I don't throw good money after bad", as a way of explaining the situation. This does not mean that you would never invest in a busness that has lost money for some period, as long as it is reasonable to think that profit will come in the future, but it places the burdeon of proof on the one that wants your investment. B: "Trust your gut" may sometimes be a bad idea, but in some situations, intuition may be the most reliable guide. If one listens to one's inner voice (and knows how to do it), one may sometimes "hear" things that are probably true, but perhaps uncomfortable. Maybe you are about to marry a young, beautiful person, but your gut tells you it is for the money? In that case, your gut may be right, even if he/she insists its your humor. C: "Two-sides fallacy": Even though there are some cases that clearly does not have two symmetrical sides, there are also a lot of situations where there ARE two comparable sides. Sometimes, one may weigh evidence differently, and sometimes one may prioritize different values. When people are too quick to label others (or Others) as either delusional, dishonst or plain evil, they may need to be reminded that perhaps they should try to see the alternative perspective. Then of course, sometimes there are conflicts where compromize or an agreement to disagree is not acceptable. It is possible that your spouse/boss/parent really is a psychopath that really wants to hurt you as much as possible, your country may be facing a military enemy that cannot be alowed to exist (ie Hitler), or you may not want to waste time considering if the earth is flat. To resolve those cases, though, you have to use some kind of force, like total war, a court order for your ex to keep his/her distance or a law banning teachers from teaching about the flat earth.