The Concept of Fallacies of Thought

The meanings of the word, “fallacy” found in the Oxford English Dictionary are:

The word ‘fallacy’ derives from two Latin words, fallax (“deceptive”) and fallere (“to deceive”)

1. Deception, guile, trickery, trick.
2. Deceptiveness, aptness to mislead, unreliability.
3. A deceptive or misleading argument, a sophism. In Logic esp. a flaw, material or formal, which vitiates a syllogism. Also, sophistical reasoning, sophistry.
4. A delusive notion, an error, esp. one founded on false reasoning. Also, the condition of being deceived, error.
5. Sophistical nature, unsoundness (of arguments); erroneousness, delusion.

To be a human thinker is often to be a “self-deceived” thinker and hence a “fallacious” thinker. However, to think of ourselves as believing what is false (or as defending and justifying prejudices, stereotypes, and misconceptions) is a painful thought. The human mind has developed ways to protect itself from that pain.

These ways have been labeled by psychologists as “defense mechanisms.” They deny or distort reality. Their use is not deliberate and conscious, but unpremeditated and subconscious. They include repression, projection, denial, rationalization, and stereotyping.