Noble Lawyers, P.C.

02/10/2026

Appeal to tradition/appeal to novelty

An appeal to tradition and an appeal to novelty are two sides of the same coin. An appeal to tradition treats “it’s always been done that way” as dispositive; an appeal to novelty does the same but with difference or newness. Tradition and novelty can be important, but they are not sufficient on their own.

Why it’s a problem:
In both cases, a conclusion is drawn without adequate support. Tradition or novelty alone cannot logically justify the conclusion. The argument fails even if the conclusion happens to be true for other reasons.

Glossary:
• proposition — any statement that can be true or false
• premise — a proposition offered as evidence
• conclusion — what follows from one or more premises
• argument — a set of premises and a conclusion
• fallacy — a flaw in logic or reasoning

A LAWYER’S LOGIC by Noble Lawyers, P.C.

01/29/2026

Appeal to authority

An appeal to authority occurs when a claim is treated as true simply because it’s asserted by someone in a position of authority. Authority can confer many things, but it cannot, by itself, establish truth. A proposition still requires evidence and reasoning, regardless of who advances it.

Why it’s a problem:
When authority substitutes for analysis, false or unsupported claims can pass unchallenged. The listener defers instead of evaluates, and the proposition is accepted without ever being tested. Sound reasoning demands more than an office, a title, or credentials.

Glossary:
• proposition — any statement that can be true or false
• premise — a proposition offered as evidence
• conclusion — what follows from one or more premises
• argument — a set of premises and a conclusion
• fallacy — a flaw in logic or reasoning

A LAWYER’S LOGIC by Noble Lawyers, P.C.

01/19/2026

12/24/2025

Happy Holidays from Noble Lawyers, P.C.

We wish you peace, joy, and a successful start to the year ahead!

11/27/2025

Happy Thanksgiving from Noble Lawyers, P.C.

We’re grateful for our clients, colleagues, courts, and community. Thank you for your trust!

10/30/2025

Happy from Noble Lawyers! 🎃

10/22/2025

Slippery slope

A slippery slope argument claims that some relatively minor action will lead to extreme, often disastrous, results. It’s a fallacy when the slide is just assumed.

Why it’s a problem:
Without causal links or evidence, slippery slope arguments mistake possibility for proof. They often reflect or engender fear and are based more on fiction than fact.

Glossary:
• proposition — any statement that can be true or false
• premise — a proposition offered as evidence
• conclusion — what follows from one or more premises
• argument — a set of premises and a conclusion
• fallacy — a flaw in logic or reasoning

A LAWYER’S LOGIC by Noble Lawyers, P.C.

10/14/2025

False dichotomy

A false dichotomy (or false dilemma) occurs when someone asserts two possibilities as if no others exist. The proposition is “it’s either this or that” when reality usually offers this, that, and more.

Why it’s a problem:
It undermines argument, oversimplifies complex issues, and pressures people into false urgency. The real world is rarely binary. Sound reasoning resists such compression; most truths live somewhere between competing absolutes.

Glossary:
• proposition — any statement that can be true or false
• premise — a proposition offered as evidence
• conclusion — what follows from one or more premises
• argument — a set of premises and a conclusion
• fallacy — a flaw in logic or reasoning

A LAWYER’S LOGIC by Noble Lawyers, P.C.

10/07/2025

Post hoc, ergo propter hoc means “after this, therefore because of this”.

It’s when someone asserts that, because one event follows another, the first must have caused the second.

Why it’s a problem:
The reasoning mistakes sequence for causation. The events may be related in time but aren’t related in cause. The causal connection simply isn’t established. The reasoning is invalid: the conclusion doesn’t logically follow from the premise.



Glossary:
• proposition — any statement that can be true or false
• premise — a proposition offered as evidence
• conclusion — what follows from one or more premises
• argument — a set of premises and a conclusion
• fallacy — a flaw in logic or reasoning

A LAWYER’S LOGIC by Noble Lawyers, P.C.

09/30/2025

Straw man

It’s when someone asserts something and the other person replies by (1) distorting it into something different and (2) “attacking” the distortion.

Why it’s a problem:
The original proposition is neither accepted nor denied — it’s left unanswered. This dodges the claim instead of dealing with it. The truth of the statement remains unresolved because the statement is replaced with something fundamentally different.

The replacement is relatively easy to “attack” (it’s made of straw), so arguing this way may seem persuasive in the moment. But it’s not; it’s fallacy, plain and simple.

Glossary:
• proposition — any statement that can be true or false
• premise — a proposition offered as evidence
• conclusion — what follows from one or more premises
• argument — a set of premises and a conclusion
• fallacy — a flaw in logic or reasoning

A LAWYER’S LOGIC by Noble Lawyers, P.C.

09/23/2025

Tu quoque means “you too”.

It’s when someone asserts something and the other person replies by pointing out that the first person does the same thing. That might be true, but it doesn’t address what was asserted.

Why it’s a problem:
The original proposition is neither accepted nor denied — it’s simply left unanswered. This dodges the claim instead of dealing with it, so the truth of the statement remains unresolved.

Glossary:
• proposition — any statement that can be true or false
• premise — a proposition offered as evidence
• conclusion — what follows from one or more premises
• argument — a set of premises and a conclusion
• fallacy — a flaw in logic or reasoning

A LAWYER’S LOGIC by Noble Lawyers, P.C.

09/15/2025

A LAWYER’S LOGIC

by Noble Lawyers, P.C.