Scientific Definition
Concluding that a claim is false because the argument for it is flawed.
Plain-English Definition
Concluding that a claim is false because the argument for it is flawed.
Feynman Explanation
Bad argument, good conclusion. It happens.
Core Principle
Concluding that a claim is false because the argument for it is flawed.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
Concluding that a claim is false because the argument for it is flawed.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Throwing out the insight with the slide.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
Bad argument, good conclusion. It happens.
Examples
- Dismissing a sound proposal because the deck had a logical error.
- Throwing out the insight with the slide.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Steel-man the conclusion independently of the argument given.
Measurement Approaches
Pending editorial review.
Evidence
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
The Perverse Incentive Lens™
How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.
- Steel-man the conclusion independently of the argument given.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Interactive Mini Network
Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.
Knowledge Graph Neighbors
Auto-linked to the rest of the Human Behavior Taxonomy by family, domain, dimension, and shared keywords.
Using an authority's opinion as evidence, regardless of its merits.
Claiming something is true because it has not been proven false.
Saying it often enough until objections fade.
Drawing a conclusion from the absence of evidence rather than its presence.
Using personal stories or isolated examples instead of evidence.
Assuming qualities of one thing transfer to another because they are associated.
Drawing conclusions about individuals from group-level data.
Assuming something exists because we can name or define it.
Relying solely on metrics that are easily quantified while ignoring what matters.
Cherry-picking data to fit a pattern after the fact.
Deriving general rules from specific examples; the leap from instance to concept.
The brain evolved to reason adaptively, not always truthfully, to reduce the cost of errors.