paralogize
Definition
- Verb (intransitive):
- To reason falsely or illogically: "paralogize" means to engage in fallacious reasoning, often unconsciously or unintentionally, especially in philosophical contexts where one draws invalid conclusions from premises.
Usage Examples
- (He reasoned falsely by confusing two related but not causally linked ideas.)
- (They caution against illogical reasoning in complex theoretical discussions.)
Advanced Usage
- Paralogism (noun): A fallacious argument or piece of reasoning, especially one that appears plausible but is logically unsound.
- The philosopher's paralogism was exposed by a simple counterexample. (His false reasoning was shown to be invalid.)
- Paralogical (adj): Relating to or characterized by paralogism.
- Her paralogical conclusion ignored key evidence. (Her conclusion was based on flawed logic.)
Variants and Related Words
- Paralogism (n): a fallacy or illogical argument.
- The textbook lists several common paralogisms in ethical reasoning. (Common fallacies in moral arguments.)
- Paralogist (n): a person who paralogizes; someone who reasons falsely.
- The paralogist failed to see the flaw in his own argument. (The person who reasoned incorrectly.)
Synonyms
- Reason falsely: to draw incorrect conclusions.
- Sophisticate: to use deceptive or specious reasoning (often deliberately).
- Mislead: to cause someone to have a wrong idea.
Related Idioms
- Beg the question: to assume the truth of an argument's conclusion in its premises (a type of paralogism).
- By saying "the Bible is true because it is the word of God," he begged the question. (He used circular reasoning.)
Phrasal Verbs
- None directly associated with "paralogize." However, reason out can be used in contrast: to think carefully.
- She reasoned out the problem correctly, unlike those who paralogize. (She used proper logic.)