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> Metatheory > Method and Instrumentation > arghXiv:2603.09550

Enumeration of Named Fallacies in Circulation

Q. Barratt

Abstract: We collected every list of named fallacies circulated in these channels over 22 months (142 lists) and enumerated the names appearing on them. Two hundred and six distinct names were in circulation. Fifty-one appear in the standard treatments consulted; the remaining 155 do not, and 38 of those appear on only one list. No two lists agreed on their full contents, and the median pairwise overlap between lists was 34 per cent. Median list length rose from 19 names to 41 over the study period, with no name observed to leave circulation. We offer no view on which names are well founded. We note only that a participant citing a named fallacy and a participant receiving the citation are, on these figures, unlikely to be working from the same list.

Comments:
12 pages, 1 table. The lists are reproduced in Appendix B as received, including duplicates.
Subjects:
Method and Instrumentation (meta.METH) (primary class); Sourcing (epist.SRC); Moves and Tactics (argu.MOV); Terminology and Definition (disc.LEX)
TDC classes:
1.02; 2.03
Cite as:
arghXiv:2603.09550v1 (BibTeX)
Submission history:
From: Q. Barratt [view email]
[v1] Wed, 25 Mar 2026