'Sophism' definitions:
Definition of 'sophism'
(from WordNet)
noun
A deliberately invalid argument displaying ingenuity in reasoning in the hope of deceiving someone [syn: sophism, sophistry, sophistication]
Definition of 'Sophism'
From: GCIDE
- Sophism \Soph"ism\, n. [F. sophisme, L. sophisma, fr. Gr. ?, fr. ? to make wise, ? to be become wise, to play the sophist, fr. ? wise.] The doctrine or mode of reasoning practiced by a sophist; hence, any fallacy designed to deceive. [1913 Webster]
- When a false argument puts on the appearance of a true one, then it is properly called a sophism, or "fallacy". --I. Watts. [1913 Webster]
- Let us first rid ourselves of sophisms, those of depraved men, and those of heartless philosophers. --I. Taylor. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'sophism'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- apparent soundness,
- argument,
- argument by analogy,
- argumentum ad baculum,
- argumentum ad captandum,
- argumentum ad hominem,
- bad case,
- begging the question,
- casuistry,
- circular argument,
- circularity,
- claptrap,
- crowd-pleasing argument,
- deception,
- deceptiveness,
- delusion,
- disingenuousness,
- distortion,
- empty words,
- equivocalness,
- equivocation,
- evasive reasoning,
- fallaciousness,
- fallacy,
- formal fallacy,
- hysteron proteron,
- illogicality,
- insincere argument,
- insincerity,
- invalidity,
- irrationality,
- jesuitism,
- jesuitry,
- logical fallacy,
- material fallacy,
- mere rhetoric,
- misapplication,
- moonshine,
- mystification,
- non sequitur,
- obfuscation,
- obscurantism,
- oversubtlety,
- paralogism,
- perversion,
- petitio principii,
- philosophism,
- plausibility,
- plausibleness,
- pseudosyllogism,
- rationalization,
- solecism,
- sophistical reasoning,
- sophistication,
- sophistry,
- special pleading,
- speciosity,
- specious reasoning,
- speciousness,
- spuriousness,
- subtlety,
- unsoundness,
- verbal fallacy,
- vicious circle,
- vicious reasoning,
- weak point