A false premise is an incorrect proposition or assumption that forms the basis of an argument and renders it logically unsound. Because false premises are common, and because they stand at the core of many logical fallacies, it’s important to understand them. As such, in the following article you will learn more about false premises, see how you can respond to their use by others, and understand what you can do to avoid using them yourself.
Examples of false premises
False premises occur when a limited number of options are incorrectly presented as being mutually exclusive to one another or as being the only options that exist, in a situation where that is not the case.
- Examples include the false dilemma, which is a logical fallacy that occurs when the options that are presented are the only ones that are available.
How to Respond to False Premises
Call them out as being false, explain why they’re false, and if necessary also explain how them being false invalidates the argument that they’re a part of.
- Ask the person who made the false premises to justify them, or simply ignore the false premise entirely, while acknowledging that the main point of the argument still holds.
How to avoid using false premises
Make sure you’re aware of all the premises that your argument is based on, and that you know for certain that these premises are true.
- If necessary, you can clearly outline arguments that you make, by stating what your premises are, what your conclusion is, and how you derive that conclusion based on your premises.
False premises and logical fallacies
A logical fallacy is a pattern of reasoning that contains a flaw, either in its logical structure or in its premises.
- The appeal to novelty: something is assumed to be either good or better than something else, simply because it’s perceived as being new and novel.
- The fallacy fallacy: someone assumes that if an argument contains a logical fallacy, then its conclusion must be false.
Conclusion
A false premise is an incorrect proposition or assumption that forms the basis of an argument and renders it logically unsound.
- To avoid using false premises, you should make sure that you’re aware of all the premises that your argument is based on, and that you know for certain that these premises are true.
Explicit and Unconscious Premises
Explicit: they are mentioned directly as part of the argument
- Hinted at and used in the argument without being mentioned directly
- Unsubstantiated: these are not mentioned directly but are used indirectly in the context
- Both true and false premises can be either explicit or implicit.
