No True Scotsman Fallacy Examples in Media, Real Life, Politics, News & Ads
No True Scotsman Fallacy
No True Scotsman Fallacy Definition
No True Scotsman is a logical fallacy used when the premise of an argument challenges a general rule. The person argues that even if the premise is true, it does not break the rule or justify a different rule. A person making this argument may use various sophisticated or periphrastic devices to mask the premise’s denial.
No true Scotsman is a logical fallacy used to disprove an example from a certain population. Essentially, it’s used as a way to assure that the population is exempt from the current argument. The name of this fallacy comes from the idea that Scottish people are infallible.
No True Scotsman Fallacy misleads people into believing that their group is perfect. This fallacy is often used in an argument about morality. Someone will argue that their group is morally superior to another group when, in fact, this is not true. For example, someone could argue that no Scotsman would commit murder. This is a faulty argument because there are Scotsmen who commit murder.
No True Scotsman Fallacy Examples
No True Scotsman example in Philosophy
Examples of No True Scotsman Fallacy in Philosophy:
The example is from a philosopher who argues that no true Scotsman would do something. He states that he cannot say for sure if they exist or not because he has never met a Scotsman.
However, when someone points out to him that there are, in fact, many Scotsmen, he replies, “no true Scotsman.”
No True Scotsman Fallacy Real-Life Examples
No True Scotsman Fallacy in Real Life:
A Scotsman is someone who lives in Scotland. If someone from England moves to Scotland, they are no longer a Scotsman because they live in England. The phrase “no true Scotsman” refers to the idea that there’s an exception for every rule.
Another example is that a man walks into a bar and orders a drink, but the bartender says he can’t serve him because he is Scottish. The bartender tells the man that no true Scotsman would walk into a bar without being sober enough to order something.
The drunk replies, “Aye, but I’m not one of those fancy-schmancy types.”
No True Scotsman Fallacy Examples in Media
Examples of No True Scotsman Fallacy in Media:
If someone is accused of doing something wrong, they’ll often say, “No true Scotsman would do X” to defend themselves.
The media will only cover stories that are sensationalized and not the more common occurrences.
If a person has an opinion on something, they’ll often say, “No true Scotsman would do X” to justify their point of view.
Other examples /situations include:
- The media often reports on a terrorist attack and then says that the terrorists are not true Muslims.
- A person who is not qualified to be president but becomes president because of an amendment in the constitution.
- When someone says they don’t believe in global warming because it’s cold outside
No True Scotsman Fallacy Examples in Advertising
No True Scotsman Fallacy in Advertising:
An example: The advertising campaign for a new product states that “no true Scotsman would want to be without this product” This is an example of the no true Scotsman fallacy because it assumes that all people who identify as Scottish will want to buy the new product
Another example. A company advertises that their product is the best for any situation. When a customer tries to use the product and it doesn’t work, they assume that this is wrong with them or their situation. The company’s advertisement was not true.
No True Scotsman Fallacy in Politics
Examples of No True Scotsman Fallacy in Politics:
The no true Scotsman fallacy is when someone says that a rule or law applies to everyone but then excludes themselves from the rule.
For example, if you say “no one likes Donald Trump,” and then I say “I like Donald Trump,” you might respond with something like, “well, no true Scotsman would support him.”
No True Scotsman Fallacy examples in Movies
Examples of No True Scotsman Fallacy in Movies:
In the movie “Braveheart,” William Wallace says, “I will not yield! No true Scotsman would!”.
This is an example of a no true Scotsman fallacy because many people identify as Scottish and do not believe in what Wallace believes in.
In the movie “Rambo,” there is a scene where Rambo throws a knife at an enemy soldier’s head, and it sticks in the wall next to him. The no true Scotsman fallacy would be that because Rambo threw his knife and it didn’t hit its target, he isn’t really a Scotsman.
No True Scotsman Fallacy Examples in Literature
Examples of No True Scotsman Fallacy in Literature:
The protagonist of “The Great Gatsby” is a no true Scotsman. In the book, Jay Gatz claims that he’s not a scot because he was born in America and has never been to Scotland.
However, this is an example of the no true Scotsman fallacy because it ignores the fact that many people were born in Scotland but have never been to America.
No True Scotsman Fallacy Examples in News
Examples of No True Scotsman Fallacy in News:
- A politician who is caught in a scandal will claim that the media is biased against him and that he’s not really a Scot.
- The no true Scotsman fallacy can be seen when someone says, “no one from my country would do something like this” to justify their own actions.
- When people say, “I’m not racist, but…” they’re committing the no true Scotsman fallacy