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THE BOOK OF FALLACIES. TITLES OF BOOKS, PARTS, AND CHAPTERS. - Jeremy Bentham, The Works of Jeremy Bentham, vol. 10 (Memoirs Part I and Correspondence) [1843]

Edition used:

The Works of Jeremy Bentham, published under the Superintendence of his Executor, John Bowring (Edinburgh: William Tait, 1838-1843). 11 vols. Vol. 10.

Part of: The Works of Jeremy Bentham, 11 vols.

About Liberty Fund:

Liberty Fund, Inc. is a private, educational foundation established to encourage the study of the ideal of a society of free and responsible individuals.


THE BOOK OF FALLACIES. TITLES OF BOOKS, PARTS, AND CHAPTERS.

BOOK I.—

FALLACIES OF THE INS.

Part I.—

Fallacies, applying to men’s fears.

Ch. I. (1.) Hobgoblin-crier’s, or Anarchy-crier’s, or Jacobin-crier’s, or Innovation-Denouncer’s argument.

Ch. II. (2.)What’s-at-the-bottom? or, the-Devil’s-behind argument.

Ch. III. (3.) Official-malefactor’s shift; or, Official-malefactor-screener’s device. Attack us, you attack Government.

Ch. IV. (4.) Accuser-scarer’s device; or, Failure-of-proof-and-calumny-confounder’s device; or, Escape-and-Innocence-confounder’s argument. Infamy must attach somewhere.

Part II.—

Fallacies, applying to men’s self-diffidence.

Ch. I. (1.) Authority-worshipper’s; or, Blind-confidence-preacher’s device or argument.

Ch. II. (2.) Ancestor-worshipper’s argument; or, Chinese argument; or argument in the Chinese style.

Ch. III. (3.) Precedent-worshipper’s; or, Where’s-your-precedent-crier’s argument.

Ch. IV. (4.) Importance-and-difficulty-trumpeter’s argument.

Ch. V. (5.) Browbeating-ignorance-professor’s; or, Browbeating-ignoramus’s, or self-stultifier’s argument.

Ch. VI. (6.) Paradox-brandisher’s device.

Ch. VII. (7.) Vaguely-insulting-vituperator’s argument. Wild, absurd, visionary, and senseless!

Part. III.—

Fallacies, applying to men’s self-diffidence—continued.

Anti-rational Fallacies.

Ch. I. (1.) Practical-man’s; or, Blind-horse’s; or, Thought-scorner’s; or, Reason-abjurer’s argument.

Ch. II. (2.) Impracticability-crier’s argument. Too good to be practicable!

Ch. III. (3.) Universal-corruption-pleader’s; or, Hope-destroyer’s argument. Let them mend themselves.

Ch. IV. (4.) Excellence-abhorrer’s; or, Perfectibility-denier’s; or, Meliorability-denier’s argument.

Ch. V. (5.) Self-contradicting-wiseacre’s; or, Shame-candid-knave’s argument. Good in theory—bad in practice.

Part IV.—

Fallacies, applying to men’s superstitions.

Ch. I. (1.) Posterity-chainer’s; or, Eternal-bar-pleader’s; or, Unalterable-Institution-pleader’s device.

Ch. II. (2.) Jepthah’s-vow-pleader’s; or, Oath-pleader’s device.

Ch. III. (3.) Allegorical-personage-worshiper’s; or, Allegorical-personage-trumpeter’s device.

Part. V.—

Fallacies, applying to men’s indolence and indifference.

Ch. I. (1.)All-hush-without-doors argument; or, Hold-still argument; or, Nobody-grumbles argument.

Ch. II. (2.) Anti-preventionalist’s; or, Suffer-first argument.

Ch. III. (3.) General-prosperity-pleader’s; or, Vicarious-comfort-preacher’s; or, Vicarious-relief-preacher’s; or, Happy-all-but-you! argument; or, What-signifies-it?; or, Nevermind-it! argument; or, Sham-consoler’s argument.

Ch. IV. (4.) Procrastinator’s-shift; or, By-and-by; or, Wait-a-little; or, Not-just-now; or, To-morrow’s-time-enough argument.

Ch. V. (5.) Snail’s-pace-preacher’s; or, Graduality-preacher’s argument.

BOOK II.—

FALLACIES OF THE INS.

Part VI.—

Fallacies, applying to men’s antipathies.

Ch. I. (1.) Bad-motive-imputer’s argument.

Ch. II. (2.) Bad-design-imputer’s argument.

Ch. III. (3.) Bad-character-imputer’s argument.

Ch. IV. (4.) Inconsistency-imputer’s argument.

Ch. V. (5.) Quondam-bad-opinion-imputer’s argument.

Ch. VI. (6.) Bad-connexion-imputer’s argument.

Ch. VII. (7.) Bad-name-bestower’s argument; or, Give-the-dog-a-name-and-hang-him argument. Anarchist!—Atheist!—Jacobin!—Blasphemer!

BOOK III.—

EITHERSIDE FALLACIES.

Part VII.—

Fallacies, applying to men’s sympathies.

Ch. I. (1.) Laudable-motive-trumpeter’s argument.

☞ For examples, see Erskine’s Defence, and Burke’s Pamphlets—Debates, and Morning Chronicles.

Ch. II. (2.) Laudable-design-trumpeter’s argument. See do.

Ch. III. (3.) Laudable-character-trumpeter’s argument. See do.

Ch. IV. (4.) Consistency-trumpeter’s argument. See do.

Ch. V. (5.) Inbred-laudable-disposition-trumpeter’s argument. See do.

Ch. VI. (6.) Laudable-connexion-trumpeter’s argument. See do.

Ch. VII. (7.) Good-name-bestower’s; or, Puffing-godfather’s argument. See do.

Ch. VIII. (8.) Human-idol-trumpeter’s; or, Deified-dead-man-trumpeter’s argument.

Ch. IX. (9.) Self-trumpeter’s; or, Pretty-poll’s; or, Who-but-I’s argument. See do.

Part VIII.—

Fallacies, applying to the Judicial faculty.

Ch. I. (1.) Question-begging-denomination-employer’s; or, Crafty-generalizer’s argument.

Ch. II. (2.) Calculation-spurning-partiality-preacher’s device. Argue not against use from abuse.

Ch. III. (3.) Calculation-scorning-atrocity-justifier’s argument. The end justifies the means.

Ch. IV. (4.) Eulogizing-lumping-classifier’s; or, Logical-cloud-climber’s; or, Logical-high-flyer’s; or, Distinction-confounder’s; or, Discrimination-eluder’s; or, Deformity-cloaker’s device.*

Ch. V. (5.) Sham-distinguisher’s device. Respect the liberty, but crush the licentiousness of the press.

Ch. VI. (6.) Cause—obstacle—and uninfluencing-circumstance-confounder’s device or argument. Before it, or along with it, therefore the cause of it.†

Ch. VII. (7.) Bar-vice-amendment-urger’s; or, Lumping-condemner’s device.

Ch. VIII. (8.) Crafty-diversion-creator’s argument. Why this, when there is that and that?

Ch. IX. (9.) General-rule-strainer’s device. *∗* Quere, exemplar?

Ch. X. (10.) Opposer-general’s; or, Defender-general’s justification argument. Not measures but men; or, Not men but measures.

BOOK IV.—

FALLACIES OF THE OUTS.

Part IX.—

Fallacies, applying to men’s jealousies and envyings.

Ch. I. (1.) Blind-place-abhorrer’s cry. What? More places?

Ch. II. (2.) Blind-job-denouncer’s cry. What? More jobs?

Note.—Both the arrangement and the nomenclature are (the author is fully sensible) open to much amendment: as well as the number of fallacies to augmentation. In many instances, it may be scarce possible to my to which of two or more heads of fallacy the examples most properly belong: and, in this case, the nomenclature will be apt to present itself as inapposite.

To each fallacy a chapter is allotted. But the number of the chapters will not exactly correspond with that of Fallacies. For in some instances, there may be an introductory chapter of explanation: and, in some instances, under one head of fallacy, the examples are so numerous, and the matter so copious, as to require several chapters. In each chapter are frequently several sections.

Note—That with the exception of the Fallacies (Part VIII.,) applying to the judicial faculty, all the Fallacies in this table are irrelevancies. Additions have been made at divers times: and even now it is far from being regarded as finished. In some instances, perhaps, nothing will be found but the title of the fallacy, neither examples, nor so much as general observations. Meantime, a foundation is laid: and it is hoped some progress made.

“Among the fallacies,” added Bentham, on another occasion, “not entered in the Book of Fallacies, is prudential præterition, or non-contradiction fallacy.

“Exposition.—When, having a bad cause to defend, a man feels himself pressed by an argument, to which he is unable to find so much as a tolerably plausible answer, he, perforce, passes it over unnoticed; and by whatsoever form he can contrive to give to his attacks or defences upon other points, uses his endeavours to drive off the attention of the judge or judges, whosoever they are, from the sore place.

“The more irresistible the argument is on which this mask of secret submission is bestowed—the more irresistible the argument, and, therefore, the more strict the necessity of taking this course in relation to it,—the more questionable may perhaps appear the propriety of placing upon the list of fallacies this unavoidable last shift.

“Of the mention here made of it, the principal use is the subjoining to it a memento to the arguer on the right side—to be on every occasion on the lookout for the instances in which such silence is maintained on the other side: and not to omit the opportunity which they may afford him of well-grounded and useful triumph. Proportioned to the cogency of the argument thus eluded, is the evidence which the silence affords of what is called mala fides—consciousness of being in the wrong—say, in a word, evil consciousness on the part of the self-constituted mute adversary. Wheresoever on this, as on any other occasion, such evil consciousness has place, no opportunity of holding it up to view, ought ever to be omitted. The stronger and more extensive the disrepute, the stronger is the repressive force with which the exposure tends to render the practice of this shift less successful, and hence, less frequent: and, in a word, to augment the probability of victory to every good, and defeat to every bad cause.”

[* ] Examples of clouds, cloaks, and foul spots covered by them:—

Cloaks.Foul Spots covered by them.
1. Order, repose, quiet, internal peace, tranquillity of states.1. Tyranny—viz. by
1. Force.
2. Intimidation.
2. Forms.2. Fraud and tyranny in all shapes.
3. Influence.3. Intimidation and corruption.
4. Law.4. Its abuses in all shapes.
5. Church.5. Its abuses in all shapes.
6. Constitution.6. Its imperfection.
7. English Institutions.7. The bad ones, and the imperfections in the good ones.

[† ] For examples, give a list of states of things, with their true causes, and the obstacles, and uninfluencing circumstances erroneously assigned as causes of them.