On Sophistical Refutations

Sophistical Refutations is a text in Aristotle's Organon. In it, Aristotle identified thirteen fallacies. Verbal fallacies include accent or emphasis, amphibology, equivocation, composition, division, and figure of speech. The material fallacies include accident, affirming the consequent, converse accident, irrelevant conclusion, begging the question, false cause, and fallacy of many questions. In this work Aristotle discusses classes of arguments that appear to be logical refutations but are actual fallacies. In other words, when examined closely the supposedly solid reasoning falls apart. He emphasizes the fact that it is lack of experience that causes one to fall for such fallacies. If we are aware of this common false logic we will not be fooled by its purveyors.