====== Frequently Asked Questions ====== Admittedly, most of these questions have not actually been asked yet – but they are at least questions that I can imagine someone asking … ===== General ===== ==== Why is my favourite fallacy not listed? ==== This site is still under construction. Entire sections have not even been started yet. Your best bet is to check back in a few weeks. Researching all of these topics is generally quite time-consuming, and publishing in two languages in parallel doesn’t make it any easier. In many cases, [[de>hauptseite|the German version of this site]] is already more advanced, and if you speak that langauges, I recommend you head there for the latest, or more detailled information. In some cases, terms were not (yet) included if it is unclear whether they actually describe an //existing// phenomenon. For more informaiton in this issue, please see the article on the [[abstraction:ontological_fallacy|Ontological fallacy]]. Tips, hints, requests, or just generally information on interesting new topics are of course always welcome. For contact details please see the [[about:imprint|imprint page]]. ==== Why not Wikipedia instead? ==== The concept of this site is very different from what has been established on Wikipedia. Many of my articles soon either be deleted, or changed to such an extent that the main aim of this project – to provide understandable introductions for non-experts – could not be fulfilled in that context. ==== Where can I find additional literature on a subject? ==== If you are interested in learning more about the topic of an article, you can (usually) find links to other websites under the heading “More information” at the end of each page. There is usually at least a link to Wikipedia. There you can also find further references, which can at least be a starting point for your own research. ==== What does it cost to run this site? (and who pays for it?) ==== The costs for hosting, domain, etc. amount to about 5 euros per month (plus the same amount for the sister site [[de>hauptseite|Denkfehler Online]]). I pay these costs out of my own pocket. Operating such a wiki is actually one of the //cheaper// hobbies one can have. Significantly higher are the amounts I spend on literature, access to reference works, etc. Unfortunately, I don't have access to a university library, so I have to buy all the books that interest me myself. Fortunately, most of them are good and cheap to get second-hand (a tip for students too!). Again, I pay for everything myself. Not measurable, though, is the amount of work that goes into researching, formulating and managing the site. After all, there was a reason why I was able to make the most progress in setting up the site during the Covid lockdown … ==== How can I reuse the articles? ==== Unless marked otherwise, the articles you find on this site are not in the public domain, but are subject to copyright. This means that any further use beyond visiting the website requires the consent of the copyright holder. Generally, use in the context of education and training is permitted. The articles may therefore be printed out and reproduced for use in the classroom. However, I would ask you to retain the copyright notices and not to host the articles on another site. If you want to publish an article or a part of it elsewhere (beyond what constitutes a regular citation) or use it in any other way, you need a permission. Just send me a message (see [[about:imprint|imprint]]) with more information. In short: if the request is “only” about a little longer citation than usual, and/or if this is done in the context of a thematically similar project, you will probably get that permission. If, on the other hand, you simply want to populate a //clickbait// site with content, there will be no permission given. By the way, the use of the articles as //training data// for [[wp>Artificial intelligence|AI]] systems also falls under copyright law and requires authorisation. ==== Can I advertise on this site? ==== No. ===== Corrections ===== ==== I’ve found a mistake, what can I do? ==== Just let me know. I hold no claim to omniscience and – just like anybody else – I sometimes make mistakes. I am, however, always happy when I learn something new – for example when someone points out a mistake %%:-D%% Honestly! For contact details see the [[about:imprint|imprint]] page … ==== A description is not “scientific” enough ==== One of the constant challenges in this project is finding the right balance between scientific accuracy and general comprehensibility. It should be obvious that this is not always possible without some compromises – be that that the “interested layperson” has to read over the occasional mathematical or logical symbol, or be it that experts in the field will sometimes have to cringe a bit over some all too simplistic explanation. Sorry. However, if you think that one or the other passage goes a little too far in one direction or the other, I would be very happy to hear about (and possibly discuss) it. Again, please refer to the [[about:imprint|imprint]] for contact details. ==== A description is too complicated ==== See above. ===== Foreign language terms ===== ==== Why are there so many expressions in Latin or Ancient Greek? ==== FIXME TODO ==== How do I read the Greek expressions? ==== For expressions in non-Latin writing systems (such as Greek), a //transcription// (i.e. conversion into Latin letters) is always provided. This should help you to at least pronounce the terms without a degree in ancient languages … By the way: Greek letters are not very difficult to learn. Many are hardly any different from ours (such as ''α'' or ''κ''), others – such as ''π'' or ''λ'' – are probably still known from maths lessons in school. The remaining characters can easily be learnt in an afternoon. This can also be useful for your next holiday in Greece. ===== References ===== ==== Why are there no references in the articles? ==== The aim of this web site is not to attain academic distinction, but to provide easy-to-understand explanations. In this context, references tend to be more confusing rather than really helpful. Another reason is that it takes a lot of time to research sources properly, and I prefer to invest this time in further developing the site (i.e. writing new articles and improving existing ones). There are, however, links to additional information in almost all articles (usually at least to Wikipedia), where you can usually also find references to further reading. ==== But I need references, where can I find them? ==== In the university library. Start at the shelf with the introductions to academic work and work your way from there to the respective subject areas. ===== Religion ===== ==== I am looking for confirmation of my faith ==== Logic is not an adequate method for answering questions of faith and religion. It has been tried by many great minds and they have invariably failed. If you are looking for confirmation of your faith, you probably have doubts. Doubt is a good starting point! ===== Politics ===== ==== I am looking for confirmation of my political opinion ==== See [[#religion|Religion]] above. ==== My political opponent is committing a fallacy/is arguing in bad faith/etc. ==== Of course he does; just like their political friends, too, by the way. Generally speaking, politicians tend to commit the same logical or rhetorical fallacies time and again, regardless of their political orientation - perhaps you find them a little more often in the more extreme orientations of each political spectrum, but that could be a subjective (mis-)perception. In any case, you can find them everywhere. Therefore, my advice: do it better, avoid fallacies and faulty reasoning yourself (and ad hominem attacks on your opponent) and make the world a little better. Because someone has to start with it. ==== Why are mainly the errors of left-wing/right-wing politicians listed? ==== The intention of this site is to remain politically and ideologically neutral – examples are generally taken from all political camps. However, it can happen that in one article there are mainly examples from one side, while in another there are more from the other. As a general rule, //fallacies// in thinking, logic and rhetoric are common to all parties and all political orientations. The fact that examples are given of the one party does not mean that the others are not equally affected. By the way, a false argument does not necessarily mean that there are no other, more powerful arguments in favour of a position. More on this under: [[relevancy:fallacy-fallacy|Fallacy-fallacy]]. ===== Data protection ===== ==== What data is collected and who has access to it? ==== This site is configured to the best of our knowledge and judgement in such a way that //no// personal data (not even pseudonymised) of visitors is collected. The built-in statistics module only collects statistical information, like //how often// a page was accessed or how many visitors came to the site on a given day, including basic derived information, like from which country they came, which web browser was used, etc. This information only exists at a high aggregate level. It is //never// combined with any other data or de-anonymised in any way. The data is also //not// shared with third parties. There is also the //theoretical// possibility of accessing the log files of the web server, in which further data could be found (in particular the IP address from which a request came and the exact time of this request). This option is //normally// not used; however, the operator of the site reserves the right to access this data for important reasons, in particular in the event of an attack on the server or hacking attempts. ==== Which cookies are set? ==== See the [[about:cookies|Cookies]] page. ===== Technical questions ===== ==== What software is used for the site? ==== The **CMS** (Content Management System) for this site is [[doku>dokuwiki|DokuWiki]], a simple, easy-to-use wiki system that is also flexible enough to handle all the special features of this site. Among the advantages of DokuWiki is that it is easy to install and does not make high demands on the server (only [[wp>PHP|PHP]] is required) as well as delivering the pages rather quickly and resource-efficiently. As [[wp>Open source|open source]] software, it is also easy to make changes to the software if necessary. And last but not least, there is an active community and developers who are always ready to help with questions and problems. Conversely, when it comes to more specific requirements, you often need a little more expertise to get everything configured the way you want it. The **template** was developed specifically for this site. It is called [[doku>template:ad-hominem|Ad-Hominem]] (after the original name of this project); it is publicly available and can be freely used for other sites. In addition to the **plugins** that are part of the standard installation of DokuWiki, the following are also installed: [[doku>plugin:include|Include]] (for integrating page blocks), [[doku>plugin:pageredirect|Page Redirect]] (for redirects), [[doku>plugin:statistics|Statistics]] (for statistics) and [[doku>plugin:codemirror|CodeMirror]] (as a visual editor). The [[doku>plugin:translation|Translation]] plugin (in combination with //redirections//) is used to interlink the English and German wikis. In addition, the following plug-ins have been developed specifically for this site: [[doku>plugin:adhoctags|Ad-Hoc HTML]] (to be able to use HTML tags in the wiki text), [[doku>plugin:adhocwrap|Ad-Hoc Wrap]] (for specific styles, such as the info boxes), [[doku>plugin:adhoctables|Ad-Hoc Tables]] (allows HTML tables to be inserted), and [[doku>plugin:adhocmathml|Ad-Hoc MathML]] (for mathematical formulae). The CMS and all modules and plugins in use on this site are all freely available.