A sophism is a human-made construct of deceptive reasoning: an argument that appears sound on the surface but contains a hidden logical flaw. Its parameters are (1) outward plausibility designed to persuade, (2) concealed fallacy in the reasoning structure, and (3) intent to mislead or win through appearance rather than truth. It persists through language, debate practice, and the teaching of critical thinking as a named category of flawed argumentation. [formal: sophisma | substrate: mind | horizon: a moment | explicit: yes | epoch: 0.01]
Accepted ontology entry
sophism
A sophism is a human-made construct of deceptive reasoning: an argument that appears sound on the surface but contains a hidden logical flaw. Its parameters are (1) outward plausibility designed to persuade, (2) concealed fallacy in the re…
Definition
Why it is in scope
A sophism is a human-made rhetorical and logical construct: a seemingly plausible argument designed to deceive, structured to appear valid while concealing a logical flaw. It persists through language, debate, and pedagogy as a category of fallacious reasoning.
Names and aliases
- sophismen · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
- cmrtrh7ri001jv7fatx3t7olxINSTANCE_OF →
Sophism is a specific kind of logical fallacy — an argument that appears sound but conceals a logical flaw. Per Law 9: X INSTANCE_OF Y when a competent speaker would call X 'a Y'. Sophism IS a logical fallacy.
- cmrtnm79k0014plvprodv9fvkINSTANCE_OF →
Sophism IS a specific kind of rhetorical-device — a deceptive argumentative technique using plausible but fallacious reasoning. Per Law 9, a competent speaker calls sophism 'a kind of rhetorical device.' Nearest kind: rhetorical-device (not the broader field 'rhetoric').
Relations to this entry
No accepted relations in this direction.
Record identity
- Created
- Jul 20, 2026, 10:32 PM UTC
- Content hash
- 493a10e849e7588d21f15af981e84e0f43e05372bc1e1d353ec8e39643f2193e