Fireside Critical Thinking Series
Learning and discussing Logical Fallacies
The Magic Show
Act 2: Dodge and Deflect
Arguments that evade, misdirect, and shift the blame
START
Logical Fallacies
Arguments are everywhere; in the news, at the dinner table, in our own heads. But not every argument is a good one, and some are designed to sound convincing without actually being correct. This series introduces the most common logical fallacies: the sneaky structural tricks that make bad reasoning look like solid thinking. By the end of these four sessions, your group will have a shared vocabulary for calling out flawed arguments, and a much harder time accidentally making them.
This Session: Misdirection
Some fallacies do not attack at all. They escape. This session covers the techniques people use to avoid answering a question, shift the burden onto someone else, or quietly change the subject without anyone noticing. From deflecting criticism back at the critic to smuggling assumptions inside a question, these are the moves that let someone walk away from a losing argument without ever admitting it.
Stage Directions
This act is about the art of the vanishing answer. These tricks are especially fun to discuss because they're so recognizable -- from kids deflecting chores to adults winning arguments through confusion. Watch how quickly the real point disappears.
8 Personal Incredulity
9 Special Pleading
7 Tu Quoque
"Well, YOU do it too!" is not an argument
Invent an exception so you're never wrong
Can't picture it? Must be impossible
11 Burden of Proof
12 Ambiguity
10 Loaded Question
A trap wearing a question mark as a disguise
You can't disprove it, so I win
Technically not lying, but definitely not honest
Trick 7: Tu Quoque
The Trick
Responding to criticism not by addressing it, but by pointing out that the person criticizing you also has flaws. "You too!" is not an argument -- even if it feels very satisfying.
The performance
Mom tells Jake to clean his room. Jake points out that the kitchen counter has been messy for three days. The room is still messy. The kitchen is still messy. Nobody wins.
Trick 7: Tu Quoque
Spot the sleight of hand
The magician, caught mid-trick, points at another magician and says, "Well, YOUR cards are marked too!"
Talk about it
Why does "well, YOU do it too!" feel so powerful in the moment -- even though it doesn't actually answer anything?
Trick 8: Personal Incredulity
The Trick
Deciding something can't be true simply because YOU personally can't picture how it works. Your imagination has limits -- but reality doesn't care about that!
The audience member insists the trick is impossible because they can't figure out how it's done. The trick happened anyway.
The performance
Grandpa refuses to believe his phone can have ten thousand photos on it.
He can't see where they all fit. He's convinced the phone is tricking him and the photos aren't really in there.
Trick 8: Personal Incredulity
Spot the sleight of hand
"I can't understand how that could possibly work" is a statement about the speaker, not about the thing being discussed.
Talk about it
Is there something you once thought was impossible or unbelievable that turned out to be completely real? What changed your mind?
Trick 9: Special Pleading
The Trick
When someone is shown to be wrong, they don't update their belief -- they invent a special exception so their claim magically stays true no matter what.
It's the magician who, when the trick fails, announces that this particular audience has unusual energy that interfered with the illusion.
The performance
Your cousin insists he can always tell when it's about to rain.
Every time he's wrong, he explains that a specific unusual condition made this particular time not count.
Trick 9: Special Pleading
Spot the sleight of hand
Every unfalsifiable belief is one special pleading away from being protected forever. If no possible evidence could prove something wrong, that's a red flag.
Talk about it
Have you ever caught yourself (or someone you love) changing the rules to protect a belief when it was challenged?
Trick 10: The Loaded Question
The Trick
A question with a sneaky assumption baked in -- where any answer makes you look bad. It's a trap wearing a question mark as a disguise.
The magician asks, "Would you like to pick the right card or admit you can't follow along?" -- there is no clean exit.
The performance
Younger brother asks older brother in front of their parents: "So have you finished all your homework, or are you still procrastinating like last week?"
There is no safe answer.
Trick 10: The Loaded Question
Spot the sleight of hand
If answering "yes OR no" both make you look bad, the question is loaded. The correct response is to reject the premise, not answer as asked.
Talk about it
Try it! Craft a loaded question about something silly -- snacks, chores, whose turn it is. What makes it feel loaded?
Trick 11: Burden of Proof
The Trick
The person making a claim is responsible for proving it -- it's not everyone else's job to prove them wrong. Just because no one can disprove something doesn't make it true.
The magician claims the hat contains a rabbit and insists YOU must prove it doesn't.
The performance
Your little cousin announces that there is a dragon living behind the washing machine.
When asked for proof, he says no one can prove there ISN'T one, so he wins.
Trick 11: Burden of Proof
Spot the sleight of hand
The burden of proof always sits with the person making the positive claim. "You can't disprove it" is not evidence for anything.
Talk about it
What's an unprovable belief someone you know holds with total confidence? How do they respond when asked for evidence?
Trick 12: Ambiguity
The Trick
Using words or phrases with double meanings -- so that if you get caught, you can claim you meant the other thing. Technically not lying, but definitely not honest.
The magician's finest escape: "I never said the coin would be in THIS hand..."
The performance
You tell your parents you "finished your dinner."
What you mean is you finished carrying your dinner plate to the kitchen, where you scraped it into the trash.
Trick 5: Slippery Slope
Spot the sleight of hand
When someone's response is technically defensible but clearly designed to mislead, that's ambiguity doing its work. Ask them to be specific.
Talk about it
What's the most creative use of technically-true-but-misleading language you've ever pulled off -- or had pulled on you?
This Shows Tricks
Tu Quoque
pointing the finger back
Personal Incredulity
Can't imagine it? impossible
Invent so you're never wrong
Special Pleading
Any answer, you look bad
Loaded Question
Making claims without providing evidence
Burden of Proof
Technically true, deliberately misleading
Ambiguity
FROM ALL OF US AT FIRESIDE
Thank you!
Don't foret to schedule your next gathering!
Magic Show: Act 2
Justin Millen
Created on March 16, 2026
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Transcript
Fireside Critical Thinking Series
Learning and discussing Logical Fallacies
The Magic Show
Act 2: Dodge and Deflect
Arguments that evade, misdirect, and shift the blame
START
Logical Fallacies
Arguments are everywhere; in the news, at the dinner table, in our own heads. But not every argument is a good one, and some are designed to sound convincing without actually being correct. This series introduces the most common logical fallacies: the sneaky structural tricks that make bad reasoning look like solid thinking. By the end of these four sessions, your group will have a shared vocabulary for calling out flawed arguments, and a much harder time accidentally making them.
This Session: Misdirection
Some fallacies do not attack at all. They escape. This session covers the techniques people use to avoid answering a question, shift the burden onto someone else, or quietly change the subject without anyone noticing. From deflecting criticism back at the critic to smuggling assumptions inside a question, these are the moves that let someone walk away from a losing argument without ever admitting it.
Stage Directions
This act is about the art of the vanishing answer. These tricks are especially fun to discuss because they're so recognizable -- from kids deflecting chores to adults winning arguments through confusion. Watch how quickly the real point disappears.
8 Personal Incredulity
9 Special Pleading
7 Tu Quoque
"Well, YOU do it too!" is not an argument
Invent an exception so you're never wrong
Can't picture it? Must be impossible
11 Burden of Proof
12 Ambiguity
10 Loaded Question
A trap wearing a question mark as a disguise
You can't disprove it, so I win
Technically not lying, but definitely not honest
Trick 7: Tu Quoque
The Trick
Responding to criticism not by addressing it, but by pointing out that the person criticizing you also has flaws. "You too!" is not an argument -- even if it feels very satisfying.
The performance
Mom tells Jake to clean his room. Jake points out that the kitchen counter has been messy for three days. The room is still messy. The kitchen is still messy. Nobody wins.
Trick 7: Tu Quoque
Spot the sleight of hand
The magician, caught mid-trick, points at another magician and says, "Well, YOUR cards are marked too!"
Talk about it
Why does "well, YOU do it too!" feel so powerful in the moment -- even though it doesn't actually answer anything?
Trick 8: Personal Incredulity
The Trick
Deciding something can't be true simply because YOU personally can't picture how it works. Your imagination has limits -- but reality doesn't care about that!
The audience member insists the trick is impossible because they can't figure out how it's done. The trick happened anyway.
The performance
Grandpa refuses to believe his phone can have ten thousand photos on it. He can't see where they all fit. He's convinced the phone is tricking him and the photos aren't really in there.
Trick 8: Personal Incredulity
Spot the sleight of hand
"I can't understand how that could possibly work" is a statement about the speaker, not about the thing being discussed.
Talk about it
Is there something you once thought was impossible or unbelievable that turned out to be completely real? What changed your mind?
Trick 9: Special Pleading
The Trick
When someone is shown to be wrong, they don't update their belief -- they invent a special exception so their claim magically stays true no matter what.
It's the magician who, when the trick fails, announces that this particular audience has unusual energy that interfered with the illusion.
The performance
Your cousin insists he can always tell when it's about to rain. Every time he's wrong, he explains that a specific unusual condition made this particular time not count.
Trick 9: Special Pleading
Spot the sleight of hand
Every unfalsifiable belief is one special pleading away from being protected forever. If no possible evidence could prove something wrong, that's a red flag.
Talk about it
Have you ever caught yourself (or someone you love) changing the rules to protect a belief when it was challenged?
Trick 10: The Loaded Question
The Trick
A question with a sneaky assumption baked in -- where any answer makes you look bad. It's a trap wearing a question mark as a disguise.
The magician asks, "Would you like to pick the right card or admit you can't follow along?" -- there is no clean exit.
The performance
Younger brother asks older brother in front of their parents: "So have you finished all your homework, or are you still procrastinating like last week?" There is no safe answer.
Trick 10: The Loaded Question
Spot the sleight of hand
If answering "yes OR no" both make you look bad, the question is loaded. The correct response is to reject the premise, not answer as asked.
Talk about it
Try it! Craft a loaded question about something silly -- snacks, chores, whose turn it is. What makes it feel loaded?
Trick 11: Burden of Proof
The Trick
The person making a claim is responsible for proving it -- it's not everyone else's job to prove them wrong. Just because no one can disprove something doesn't make it true.
The magician claims the hat contains a rabbit and insists YOU must prove it doesn't.
The performance
Your little cousin announces that there is a dragon living behind the washing machine. When asked for proof, he says no one can prove there ISN'T one, so he wins.
Trick 11: Burden of Proof
Spot the sleight of hand
The burden of proof always sits with the person making the positive claim. "You can't disprove it" is not evidence for anything.
Talk about it
What's an unprovable belief someone you know holds with total confidence? How do they respond when asked for evidence?
Trick 12: Ambiguity
The Trick
Using words or phrases with double meanings -- so that if you get caught, you can claim you meant the other thing. Technically not lying, but definitely not honest.
The magician's finest escape: "I never said the coin would be in THIS hand..."
The performance
You tell your parents you "finished your dinner." What you mean is you finished carrying your dinner plate to the kitchen, where you scraped it into the trash.
Trick 5: Slippery Slope
Spot the sleight of hand
When someone's response is technically defensible but clearly designed to mislead, that's ambiguity doing its work. Ask them to be specific.
Talk about it
What's the most creative use of technically-true-but-misleading language you've ever pulled off -- or had pulled on you?
This Shows Tricks
Tu Quoque
pointing the finger back
Personal Incredulity
Can't imagine it? impossible
Invent so you're never wrong
Special Pleading
Any answer, you look bad
Loaded Question
Making claims without providing evidence
Burden of Proof
Technically true, deliberately misleading
Ambiguity
FROM ALL OF US AT FIRESIDE
Thank you!
Don't foret to schedule your next gathering!