The Definition of Fallacies: A Defence of Aristotle's Appearance Condition

According to the Standard Definition ‘a fallacious argument, as almost every account from Aristotle onwards tells you, is one that seems to be valid but is not so’ ( Hamblin 1970 : 12). Scholars take this definition to be problematic in part because ‘appearances can vary from person to person, thus making the same argument a fallacy for the one who is taken in by the appearance, and not a fallacy for the one who sees past the appearances’ ( Hansen 2020 : §4.2). We argue that Aristotle's treatment of fallacy is not subjective in the way that critics of the Standard Definition allege.