Jim and Mark use the insane ramblings of a tiny-handed narcissist to explain logical fallacies. Each episode we focus on a single logical fallacy and, using examples from Trump, UK politics and pop culture, explore how and why it fools people, how to avoid committing it yourself, and how to counter it in an argument.
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In the one-hundred-and-ninety-ninth episode, we look at the Appeal to Pity fallacy, starting with felling sorry for himself about the IRS, feigning empathy for the families of people killed by immigrants, and pretending he felt sorry for J6ers and their uncomfortable prison cells. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Nigel Farage all claiming they were…
In the one-hundred-and-ninety-eighth episode, we look at the Blinded By AI fallacy, starting with RFK relying on AI for public heath advice, Mike Johnson talking about DOGE's use of AI, and Elon's promises to make his own Odyssey. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Boris and Keir both making wild promises about AI, and Yvette Cooper touting AI facial recognition for crime fighting. In…
In the one-hundred-and-ninety-seventh episode, we look at The Courtier's Reply, starting with Trump disagreeing with judges and both Trump and Ben Shapiro trying and failing to dunk on AOC. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Boris defending Brexit, Farage ignoring the need to defend his £5 million bung, and Robert Jenrick claiming there's nothing to see here. In the Fallacy in the Wild…
Jim and Mark use the insane ramblings of a tiny-handed narcissist to explain logical fallacies. Each episode we focus on a single logical fallacy and, using examples from Trump, UK politics and pop culture, explore how and why it fools people, how to avoid committing it yourself, and how to counter it in an argument. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out:…
In the one-hundred-and-ninety-sixth episode, we take another look at the Conspiracy Theory Thinking Fallacy, starting with Trump and Mike Johnson claiming the California primaries are rigged, and a Flat Earther remaining unconvinced by the Artemis II mission. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Nigel Farage conspiratorially theorising about two-tier justice systems, and Liz Truss coming…
In the one-hundred-and-ninety-fifth episode, we look at the Exact Definition Fallacy, starting with Trump pretending he doesn't know what DEI means, and pretending Biden doesn't know what carbon means, then we hear Marsha Blackburn try to dunk on Ketanji Brown Jackson. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Catherine McKinnell and Jacob Rees-Mogg's very different definitions of fairness,…
In the one-hundred-and-ninety-fourth episode, we look at the Appeal to Definition, starting with Trump relying on specific definitions of MAGA and 86. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Boris Johnson and Theresa May relying on specific definitions . In the Fallacy in the Wild section, we check out examples from Taskmaster, Autechre, and Bill Clinton's deposition. Jim and Mark go…
In the one-hundred-and-ninety-third episode, we look at the Definist Fallacy, starting with Trump redefining profit, temperament, and his opponents. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at definitions of socialism from Jeremy Corbyn, Mick Lynch, Kier Starmer, Rachel Reeves, Jonathan Reynolds, and James Cleverly. In the Fallacy in the Wild section, we check out examples from Friends, Babylon…
In the one-hundred-and-ninety-second episode, we look at the Didactic Fallacy, starting with Trump talking about assassinations and tariffs. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Jacob Rees-Mogg reminiscing about the Empire, Boris Johnson waxing lyrical on Thatcher, and Kemi Badenoch missing the point of Bloody Sunday. In the Fallacy in the Wild section, we check out examples from Brooklyn…
In the one-hundred-and-ninety-first episode, we take another look at the Galileo Fallacy, starting with Trump being compared to Galileo and Einstein, Karoline Leavitt defending RFK Jr, and Rick Perry denying climate change. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Farage misquoting Gandhi, Jonathan Dimbleby defending the BBC, and Zia Yusuf attacking Zack Polanski. In the Fallacy in the Wild…
In the one-hundred-and-ninetieth episode (in which we swap roles Freaky-Friday-style), we explore the Spin Doctoring Fallacy, starting with Trump and co lying about the murders of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by ICE and CBP thugs. In Jim's British Politics Corner, we look at Keir Starmer avoiding a question, and Jo Moore's ill-advised attempts to bury bad news. In the Fallacy in the Wild…
As you know, we occasionally go back and take a second look at fallacies we've explored before, but we're never going to get to them all, and we keep seeing examples out there, so we thought we'd gather some together in some special episodes. Kind of like this one. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
As you know, we occasionally go back and take a second look at fallacies we've explored before, but we're never going to get to them all, and we keep seeing examples out there, so we thought we'd gather some together in some special episodes. Kind of like this one. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
I watched the State of the Union so you don't have to (probably should have warned you in advance - sorry about that!), and I checked if anything Trump said was true. Here's the result. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
As you know, we occasionally go back and take a second look at fallacies we've explored before, but we're never going to get to them all, and we keep seeing examples out there, so we thought we'd gather some together in some special episodes. Kind of like this one. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
As you know, we occasionally go back and take a second look at fallacies we've explored before, but we're never going to get to them all, and we keep seeing examples out there, so we thought we'd gather some together in some special episodes. Kind of like this one. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
As you know, we occasionally go back and take a second look at fallacies we've explored before, but we're never going to get to them all, and we keep seeing examples out there, so we thought we'd gather some together in some special episodes. Kind of like this one. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
In the one-hundred-and-eighty-ninth episode, we explore the Sanctimony Fallacy, starting with Trump calling Democrats immoral for their stance on abortion, and claiming he did the right thing regarding Roe v Wade. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Kemi Badenoch justifying the kidnapping of Maduro, the morality of Zack Polanksi's former profession as a hypnotist, and David Cameron…
Happy New Year! We're currently watching Airplane vs Volcano, a terrible Dean Cain movie, and breaking it down for our Patrons in great detail. In the spirit of the season, we thought it should be shared with more of you, so here's the second part of our breakdown, just in case you're interested. It's part scholarly film theory analysis, part snarky nitpicking, part exasperated diatribe. There's a…
In the one-hundred-and-eighty-eighth episode, we explore the Argumentum Ad Feminam, starting with a montage of Trump attacking women. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Diane Abbott reporting on the daily abuse she gets over social media, Harriet Harman on why she didn't get appointed Deputy PM, and why women like her threaten misogynists, and Kemi Badenoch attacking women who complain…
Merry Christmas! We're currently watching Airplane vs Volcano, a terrible Dean Cain movie, and breaking it down for our Patrons in great detail. In the spirit of the season, we thought it should be shared with more of you, so here's the first part of our breakdown, just in case you're interested. It's part scholarly film theory analysis, part snarky nitpicking, part exasperated diatribe. There's a…
In the one-hundred-and-eighty-seventh episode, we explore the Square One Fallacy, starting with RFK Jr demanding vaccines be tested before they are used, and Trump suggesting some kind of film and video game ratings system. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Kemi Badenoch lamenting (for all the wrong reasons) the rebooted version of research into puberty blockers, Nigel Farage demanding…
In the one-hundred-and-eighty-sixth episode, we take another look at Moving the Goalposts, starting with Trump and Hegseth talking about the missile strike on the Iranian nuclear facility, and the shifting stories around Trump's association with Epstein. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we talk about the ever-changing age for retirement in the UK, an LBC listener struggling to justify her…
In the one-hundred-and-eighty-fifth episode, we explore the Chronocentrism Fallacy, starting with Trump going overboard announcing the Gaza ceasefire, a Trump fan saying when he thinks America was great the first time, and Eisenhower responding to Adlai Stevenson's campaign slogan. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Thatcher in 1980 claiming everything's great, Cameron in 2016 claiming…
In the one-hundred-and-eighty-fourth episode, we explore the Appeal to Fame Fallacy, starting with Trump reassuring journalists about TikTok, boasting about famous people asking him questions, and arguing with Terry Moran. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Oasis promoting Tony Blair, Elton John promoting Starmer, and Nigel Farage promoting himself. In the Fallacy in the Wild section,…
In the one-hundred-and-eighty-third episode, we explore the Think of the Children Fallacy, starting with Trump attacking trans people, and claiming people grab children to get across the border, and then how QAnon pivoted from wacky conspiracies to just lies. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage pretending their hardline stance on immigration is "for the…
In the one-hundred-and-eighty-second episode, we explore the Fallacy Fallacy, starting with Trump invoking Contextomy, Chuck Grassley accusing people of Guilt By Association, and Eric Burlison claiming Ad Hominem attacks on Elon Musk. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Lord David Frost citing multiple fallacies as reasons for dismissing Net Zero policies. In the Fallacy in the Wild…
In the one-hundred-and-eighty-first episode, we explore the Honor by Association Fallacy, starting with Trump invoking Lincoln and his big hat, his smart uncle, and the American flag. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at George Osborne, Rishi Sunak, Kier Starmer, and Michael Gove, all associating themselves with the common, salt of the earth, working class British people. In the Fallacy…
In the one-hundred-and-eightieth episode, we take another look at the Slippery Slope Fallacy, starting with Trump warning about Biden's border policy, and the Democrat's approach to the second amendment, followed by Dan Bongino aligning mask mandates with taking your children away. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Kemi Badenoch decrying woke archaeology, Nigel Farage arguing against…
In the one-hundred-and-seventy-ninth episode, we explore the Ethnocentric Fallacy, starting with Trump pretending Americans invented everything, and claiming everyone wants to do business with the US. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Nigel Farage boasting about how open-minded and accepting the Brits are, Kemi Badenoch ranking the cultures, and Boris Johnson harking back to an…
While Jim's away on holiday, in lieu of a regular episode, here is the audio of a talk Jim gave last Summer for the Skeptics in the Pub Online ( https://sitp.online/ ), who very kindly gave permission for us to share it with you here. Long-time listeners will no doubt already be aware of Jim's obsession with debunking Dinesh D'Souza's film about election fraud, but this is the first time he talked…
In the one-hundred-and-seventy-eighth episode, we explore the Labelling Fallacy, starting with Trump labelling the Democratic platform, Kelly Loeffler incessantly labelling Radical Liberal Raphael Warnock, and Vivek Ramaswamy labelling himself and all his Republican primary opponents. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Liz Truss and Suella Braverman labelling everyone who disagrees with…
In the one-hundred-and-seventy-seventh episode, we explore the Halo Effect, starting with Trump's constant comments on the attractiveness of pilots and generals, his amazement at Transport Secretary Sean Duffy's ability to climb both up and down trees, and his reluctance to hire John Bolton and Janet Yellen. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Peter Bone MP's defense of Boris Johnson,…
In the one-hundred-and-seventy-sixth episode, we explore the Appeal to Outdated Data, starting with Trump getting Chicago gun laws wrong, and being disingenuous about Fauci's masking advice, then Musk pretending the press minimizes violence against white men. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Nigel Farage using old figures to claim the cost of aiming for Net Zero is too high. In the…
In the one-hundred-and-seventy-fifth episode, we take another look at the Argument from Popularity, starting with Trump claiming millions of people voted illegally in 2020, and that 90% of people think his economy was better than Biden's, then Utah's state legislature pretending science isn't real if enough people think so. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Rupert Lowe being racist,…
In the one-hundred-and-seventy-fourth episode, we explore the Furtive Fallacy, starting with Trump blaming protests on George Soros, lying about USAID, and claiming the 2020 election was stolen from him. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Nadine Dorries implying various behind-the-scenes shenanigans in the Tory Party. In the Fallacy in the Wild section, we check out examples from…
In the one-hundred-and-seventy-third episode, we explore Hypophora, starting with Trump showing his lack of foreign policy chops with regard to both Iran and Iraq, and then Donald Jr. minimizing COVID deaths. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Kier Starmer accurately describing Boris Johnson, Boris Johnson inaccurately describing parties, and Ed Miliband mocking an elitist Tory. In the…
In the one-hundred-and-seventy-second episode, we explore the Jingoism Fallacy, starting with Trump quoting Napoleon and making transphobia a patriotism issue, and Dr. Carole Lieberman asking why Democrats hate America. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Starmer, Sunak, and Laurence Fox doing their best to sound patriotic, an insanely jingoistic ad for Brexit, and Nigel Farage wondering…
In the one-hundred-and-seventy-first episode, we explore the Golden Hammer Fallacy, starting with Trump trying to use tariffs to solve every problem and Dr. Oz recommending acupuncture for multiple ailments. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at the many problems Brexit was destined to solve, and the many Brexit-related problems that could be solved by rejoining the EU. In the Fallacy in…
In the one-hundred-and-seventieth episode, we explore the Appeal to Common Sense Fallacy, starting with Trump ignoring the evidence on DEI, immigration, and crime. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Kemi Badenoch being confusing, Rishi Sunak denouncing elitism, Nigel Farage dismissing wokeism, and Baroness Fox celebrating the death of DEI. In the Fallacy in the Wild section, we check…
In the one-hundred-and-sixty-ninth episode, we take another look at the Inconsistent Comparison Fallacy, starting with Trump comparing Covid to the flu, Tucker Carlson being a Russian propagandist, and Candace Owens being an anti-vaxxer. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Kemi Badenoch being incredibly xenophobic, and Liz Truss being delusional. In the Fallacy in the Wild section, we…
In the one-hundred-and-sixty-eighth episode, we explore the Euphemism Fallacy, starting with Trump hiding the true evil of his Executive Orders, lying about pro-life activists he pardoned, and minimizing the Access Hollywood tape. In Mark's British Politics Corner, we look at Allegra Stratton struggling to come up with an excuse for parties at Number 10 during lockdown, and Boris kind of…
In the one-hundred-and-sixty-seventh episode, we explore the Insignificant Cause Fallacy, starting with Trump getting the Soviet Union wrong, and Ross Clark denying climate change. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Tobias Elwood being wrong about why the Tories lost, and Kemi Badenoch being wrong about Nigel Farage and the Southport murders. In the Fallacy in the Wild section, we check…
In the one-hundred-and-sixty-sixth episode, we explore the Truth Rejection Fallacy, starting with Trump saying he's smart for not paying taxes, his history of buying political influence qualifies him to drain the swamp, and that his birtherism conspiracy theory peddling actually helped Obama. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Liz Truss claiming her disastrous mini budget was actually a…
In the one-hundred-and-sixty-fifth episode, we explore the Truth Rejection Fallacy, starting with Trump advocating torture (again). In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Theresa May on free market capitalism, Jeremy Kyle on refugees, and Nigel Farage on the NHS and gravy trains. In the Fallacy in the Wild section, we check out examples from Only Murders in the Building, Barney Miller, an…
Happy 2025! As a special New Year treat, here's part two of our breakdown of Louise Linton's comedy (?) thriller (?), Me You Madness - a film made by someone with far too much money and far too little talent. It's part scholarly film theory analysis, part snarky nitpicking, part exasperated diatribe. We did this for our Patrons a couple of years ago. Part one went out on Christmas Day, so check…
Happy Festivus! As a special bonus treat, here's our breakdown of Louise Linton's comedy (?) thriller (?), Me You Madness - a film made by someone with far too much money and far too little talent. It's part scholarly film theory analysis, part snarky nitpicking, part exasperated diatribe. We did this for our Patrons a couple of years ago. There's a LOT to hate about this film, so this is just…
In the one-hundred-and-sixty-fourth episode, we explore Dysphemism, starting with Trump mischaracterizing the Inflation Reduction Act, immigration, and everyone he disagrees with. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Nigel Farage's attacks on Speaker John Bercow, Rachel Reeves' budget, and the EU parliament. In the Fallacy in the Wild section, we check out examples from House MD, Ally…
In the one-hundred-and-sixty-third episode, we explore the Appeal to Probability Fallacy, starting with Trump lying about inflation, Muslims, and his odds of winning in 2020. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at several opinions of Nigel Farage, and then Farage's opinion on ChatGPT. In the Fallacy in the Wild section, we check out examples from Friends, Men in Black, and Sherlock. Jim and…
In the one-hundred-and-sixty-second episode we take another look at the Non Sequitur Fallacy, starting with Trump claiming that anomalies in 2020 meant he won, and that Hillary was unfit to lead. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Boris Johnson and Liz Truss's final Prime Minister's Questions. In the Fallacy in the Wild section, we check out examples from Chocolat, The Simpsons, and The…
