There is no statutory requirement that formal logic be adhered to during examination of patent claims. Examiners and patent practitioners are free to use a wide variety of discussion and argument ...

Speak like an insider! Welcome to Snopestionary, where we’ll define a term or piece of fact-checking lingo that we use on the Snopes team. Have a term you want us to explain? Let us know. The red ...

Clear and rational thinking is essential for effective decision-making and communication in the work place. However, logical fallacies—errors in reasoning that undermine the logic of an argument—are ...

As the holidays approach you will probably get into political and cultural debates with family and friends. We at Snopes have put together a guide on the nature of fallacies, particularly false ...

Logical fallacies are flaws in reasoning. They are often called informal fallacies. It's becoming more common for people to call out these fallacies by name. You often hear accusations of people ...

We’re always pleased when our readers write to us with questions or comments that really make us think. Here, for example, is reader K.S., who writes: Perhaps it was intended facetiously, if so I ...

What is the Ad Hominem Fallacy? The ad hominem fallacy occurs when someone attacks the person making an argument rather than the argument itself. This fallacy diverts attention from the actual issue ...