Do you think there’s something wrong about your spouse winning an argument?
Deep down, you know you are right but can never prove it?
Master the following common logical fallacies to win any arguments and make your spouse feel like a real dumb ass.
Ad hominem
Ad hominem fallacy is when your spouse tries to invalidate you instead of your argument using personal traits or facts, like you writing about spotting common fallacies to make your spouse feel like a dumb ass.
Red herring
Red herring is when your spouse brings up ‘when we went to see my family,’ ‘when you got arrested’, or ‘THAT DAY’ to shift the focus and expand the current argument to a full-blown war.
Hasty generalization
A hasty generalization is an argument based on just one or a few examples rather than comprehensive research.
One disinvite and two angry phone calls after ‘THAT DAY ’ doesn’t mean all your family and friends will take the spouse’s side.
Bandwagon fallacy
Just because all your family and friends are taking your spouse’s side doesn’t mean they are right.
Straw man
A straw man fallacy is when your spouse argues against a hyperbolic version of your argument instead of the actual one.
A straw man fallacy is highly flammable and likely to appear with incendiary remarks such as ‘everybody,’ ‘irrevocable’, and ‘all over’.
False dilemma
A false dilemma, also known as a false dichotomy, often presents two polar opposites without acknowledging more reasonable choices in between.
Winning an argument and staying married are not mutually exclusive.
Equivocation
Equivocation is when your spouse uses fancy words or puts them out of context to misrepresent the original point.
Pay close attention to words like ‘temporary’, ‘termination,’ or ‘3rd party’.
Slippery slope
A slippery slope is when your spouse says, ‘once you start seeing marital conflict as a form of competition framed as ‘winning’ and ‘losing’, you will lose sight of what’s truly important’, without presenting concrete evidence for the proposed chain of events.
Appeal to pity
An appeal to pity attempts to sway the argument by provoking the opponent’s sentiment.
Don’t allow your spouse to appeal to you emotionally, as in, ‘Please stop looking at your list. Just look at me.’ ‘What happened to us? We can still fix this.’
Circular argument
A circular argument uses the same statement as the premise and the conclusion without presenting new information or justification.
“I had it with your $^%#%. You are such an %$@#! Are you writing this? You %#*^!!@$@!$%”
Sunk cost fallacy
Use this list not just because it cost me my marriage. Use it because you want to be a winner.
Disclaimer: Your spouse might realize it’s not the disagreements but who YOU are that’s objectionable.