Argumentation Sep 2024 Open Access

Epidemiology of Fallacies

Antonio Duarte Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Abstract

AbstractIn this paper I apply the epidemiological model of the spread of beliefs and how they become cultural representations to the field of fallacies. The model suggests that beliefs tend to replicate as a virus does in a potential epidemic, and those strains that are dominant in a given socio-cultural sphere become cultural representations. My ultimate aim is to denounce the fact that some presumptive argumentation schemes are widely applied as definitive arguments, but turn out to be instances of common and traditional fallacies. Moreover, some such fallacies have managed to colonise the human mind and become cultural representations in society today. Adopting the approach I advocate here, we could say that the fallacy has become a belief, which has then managed to replicate like a virus, and finally the fallacy has become a cultural representation. One of the great harms that results from this process is that it is very difficult to open up effective lines of argument that expose the fallacious nature of these new and perverse cultural representations.

Journal
Argumentation
Published
2024-09-01
DOI
10.1007/s10503-024-09634-z
CompPile
Open Access
OA PDF Hybrid
Topics
argument
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

References (37) · 7 in this index

  1. Sheryl L Chow (2023)
    Chow, Sheryl L., Biykem Bozkurt, William L. Baker, Barry E. Bleske, Khadijah Breathett, Gregg C. Fonarow, Bar…
    Circulation  ↗
  2. David Cyranoski (2018)
    Cyranoski, David. 2018. The Big Push for Chinese Medicine. Nature 561: 448–450. https://doi.org/10.1038/d4158…
    Nature  ↗
  3. Rodríguez et al. (2014)
    Scientific Controversies and the Ethics of Arguing and Belief in the Face of Ra…
    Argumentation
  4. Íñigo Onay de Felipe (2021)
    de Felipe, Íñigo Onay. 2021. The Universality of Science and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Science & Educatio…
    Science & Education  ↗
  5. Michael Eigenschink (2020)
    Eigenschink, Michael, Lukas Dearing, Tom E. Dablander, Julian Maier, and Harald H. Sitte. 2020. A Critical Ex…
    Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift  ↗
Show all 37 →
  1. Edzard Ernst (2006)
    Ernst, Edzard. 2006. Acupuncture: A Critical Analysis. Journal of Internal Medicine 259: 125–137. https://doi…
    Journal of Internal Medicine  ↗
  2. Edzard Ernst (2015)
    A Scientist in Wonderland: A Memoir of Searching for Truth and Finding Trouble
  3. Edzard Ernst (2020)
    Ernst, Edzard. 2020. Fallacies of Esoteric Medicine. Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift 132: 224–227. https://doi…
    Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift  ↗
  4. R Fears (2020)
    Fears, R., G.E. Griffin, D. Larhammar, V. ter Meulen, and J.W.M. van der Meer. 2020. Globalization of Traditi…
    Journal of Internal Medicine  ↗
  5. Goodwin (2011)
    Accounting for the Appeal to the Authority of Experts
    Argumentation
  6. Jean Goodwin (2022)
    The Pandemic of Argumentation: Argumentation Library
     ↗
  7. David Hitchcock (2011)
    Keeping in Touch with Pragma-Dialectics
     ↗
  8. Nature’s editorial (2019)
    Nature’s editorial. 2019. Break with Tradition. Nature 570: 5.
    Nature
  9. An Nguyen (2020)
    Nguyen, An., and Daniel Catalan-Matamoros. 2020. Digital Mis/Disinformation and Public Engagement with Health…
    Media and Communication  ↗
  10. Polo et al. (2017)
    Group Emotions in Collective Reasoning: A Model
    Argumentation
  11. Carles Salazar (2015)
    Religion and Science as Forms of Life: Anthropological Insights into Reason and Unreason
     ↗
  12. Simon Singh (2008)
    Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial
  13. A. Francisca Snoeck Henkemans (2012)
    Snoeck Henkemans, A. Francisca., and Dima Mohammed. 2012. Institutional Constraints on Strategic Maneuvering …
    Journal of Argumentation in Context  ↗
  14. Snoeck Henkemans, A. Francisca and Jean H. M. Wagemans. 2015. Reasonableness in context: Taking into account …
  15. Dan Sperber (2002)
    Explaining Culture: A Naturalistic Approach
  16. Frans H. van Eemeren (2012)
    Maniobras estratégicas en el discurso argumentativo
  17. Eemeren (2019)
    Argumentative Style: A Complex Notion
    Argumentation
  18. Frans H. van Eemeren (2022)
    van Eemeren, Frans H. 2022. Characterising an MEP’s argumentative style. Journal of Argumentation in Context …
    Journal of Argumentation in Context  ↗
  19. Frans H. van Eemeren (2022)
    A Pragma-Dialectical Study of Functional Variety in Argumentative Discourse
     ↗
  20. Eemeren et al. (2000)
    Rhetorical Analysis Within a Pragma-Dialectical Framework
    Argumentation
  21. Frans H. van Eemeren (2007)
    van Eemeren, Frans H., and Peter Houtlosser. 2007. The Contextuality of Fallacies. Informal Logic 27(1): 59–6…
    Informal Logic  ↗
  22. Frans H. van Eemeren (1984)
    Speech acts in Argumentative DISCUSSIONS
     ↗
  23. Eemeren et al. (1987)
    Fallacies in pragma-dialectical perspective
    Argumentation
  24. Wagemans (2011)
    The Assessment of Argumentation from Expert Opinion
    Argumentation
  25. Wagemans, Jean H. M. 2020. Institutionalized argumentative reasonableness: Commentary on Menno Reijven’s “Ins…
  26. Douglas N Walton (1995)
    A Pragmatic Theory of Fallacy
  27. Douglas N Walton (1997)
    Appeal to Expert Opinion
  28. Douglas N Walton (2006)
    Fundamentals of Critical Argumentation
  29. Douglas N Walton (2008)
    Informal Logic: A Pragmatic Approach
  30. Douglas N Walton (2008)
    Argumentation Schemes
     ↗
  31. World Health Organization. 2013. WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy: 2014–2023. https://www.who.int/publicatio…
  32. World Health Organization. 2019. International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Prob…
CrossRef global citation count: 1 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Argumentation Apr 2026
    A Normative Pragmatic Inquiry into the Volatility of Norms in Argumentation ↗
    Sally Jackson
    discourse analysis argument qualitative research public rhetoric
  2. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Apr 2026
    Book Review: Environmental Preservation and the Grey Cliffs Conflict: Negotiating Common Narratives, Values, and Ethos PickeringK. (2024). Environmental Preservation and the Grey Cliffs Conflict: Negotiating Common Narratives, Values, and Ethos. Utah State University Press, 268 pp. ↗
    Mia Twomey
    argument book reviews
  3. Res Rhetorica Apr 2026
    Logos in ancient Greek discourse on rhetoric: An overview ↗
    Arkadiusz Sokolnicki
    classical rhetoric rhetorical criticism discourse analysis argument
  4. Assessing Writing Apr 2026
    Associations of adolescents’ argumentative writing scores and growth when evaluated by different human raters and artificial intelligence models ↗
    Deborah K. Reed; Sterett Mercer
    argument artificial intelligence
  5. Rhetoric of Health and Medicine Apr 2026
    Psyche or Soma?: An Analysis of the Medical Debates Over the Diagnosis and Treatment of “Transsexualism” ↗
    Samantha Rippetoe
    rhetorical criticism argument archival research