1. Home
  2. Religion & Spirituality
  3. Agnosticism / Atheism
special pleading
<Back to Last Page >     <Glossary Index>

 Related Terms
• fallacy

 

Definition:
The informal fallacy of special pleading is committed whenever an argument includes some double standard. For example, if someone criticizes science for not producing all of the answers to life but excuses their religion for not having all of the answers about life, they are engaged in form of special pleading.

Also Known As: none

Alternate Spellings: none

Common Misspellings: none

Related Resources:

What is the Logic and the Philosophy of Language?
The two fields Logic and the Philosophy of Language are often treated separately, but they are nevertheless close enough that they are presented together here. Logic is the study of methods of reasoning and argumentation, both proper and improper. The Philosophy of Language, on the other hand, involves the study of how our language interacts with our thinking.

What is Philosophy?
What is philosophy? Is there any point in studying philosophy, or is it a useless subject? What are the different branches of philosophy - what's the difference between aestheitcs and ethics? What's the difference between metaphysics and epistemology?

<Back to Last Page >     <Glossary Index>
Explore Agnosticism / Atheism
About.com Special Features

Holiday Central

What to eat, where to go, fun things to do and how to save money on the perfect gifts. More >

Prayers for All Occasions

Use these prayers to inspire and inform your own conversations with God. More >

  1. Home
  2. Religion & Spirituality
  3. Agnosticism / Atheism

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.