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'''No true Scotsman''' is a [[logical fallacy]] and 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 standard example, and the one that gives the fallacy its name, is as follows:
*"No Scotsman puts sugar in his porridge."
*"Sean is a Scotsman and puts sugar in his porridge."
*"Then Sean is not a true Scotsman, as no true Scotsman puts sugar in his porridge."
More generally, the fallacy works like this:
*"Every ''A'' is a ''B''."
*"Here is an example of an ''A'' that is not a ''B.''"
*"Your example cannot actually be an ''A,'' since every ''A'' is a ''B.''"
The following are real-world examples:
*"The Soviet Union was not a truly [[Communist]] country, as truly Communist countries would not have been so brutal and repressive."
*"The [[9/11]] terrorists were not true Muslims, as [[Islam]] is a religion of peace."
==References==
*[http://www.logicalfallacies.info/presumption/no-true-scotsman/ No True Scotsman]
[[Category:Logical Fallacies]]
The standard example, and the one that gives the fallacy its name, is as follows:
*"No Scotsman puts sugar in his porridge."
*"Sean is a Scotsman and puts sugar in his porridge."
*"Then Sean is not a true Scotsman, as no true Scotsman puts sugar in his porridge."
More generally, the fallacy works like this:
*"Every ''A'' is a ''B''."
*"Here is an example of an ''A'' that is not a ''B.''"
*"Your example cannot actually be an ''A,'' since every ''A'' is a ''B.''"
The following are real-world examples:
*"The Soviet Union was not a truly [[Communist]] country, as truly Communist countries would not have been so brutal and repressive."
*"The [[9/11]] terrorists were not true Muslims, as [[Islam]] is a religion of peace."
==References==
*[http://www.logicalfallacies.info/presumption/no-true-scotsman/ No True Scotsman]
[[Category:Logical Fallacies]]