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'''No true Scotsman''' is a [[logical fallacy]] and more specifically a special case of [[circular logic]]. It involves making an assertion and dismissing any counterexamples because they contradict the assertion. Thus, the person making the assertion can refuse to admit that the assertion is [[falsifiable]].
'''No true Scotsman''' is a [[logical fallacy]] and more specifically a special case of [[circular logic]]. It involves making an assertion and dismissing any counterexamples because they contradict the assertion. Thus, the person making the assertion can refuse to admit that the assertion is [[falsifiable]].
The ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' describes the no true Scotsman fallacy thusly:
{{cquote|No True Scotsman
This error is a kind of [[ad hoc rescue]] of one's generalization in which the reasoner re-characterizes the situation solely in order to escape refutation of the generalization.
Example:
Smith: All Scotsmen are loyal and brave.
Jones: But McDougal over there is a Scotsman, and he was arrested by his commanding officer for running from the enemy.
Smith: Well, if that's right, it just shows that McDougal wasn't a TRUE Scotsman.<ref>[http://www.iep.utm.edu/fallacy/#NoTrueScotsman No True Scotsman Fallacy], ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy''</ref>}}
The standard example, and the one that gives the fallacy its name, is as follows:
The standard example, and the one that gives the fallacy its name, is as follows: