Self-Evident Truth

A self-evident truth is a statement that claims to need no actual logical support because it is sooooo obviously correct. Self-evident truths are relatively easy to identify by the phrases they contain.

Some of these phrases include:

• Only a fool would think that...

• Everyone knows that...

• No one can deny that...

• Obviously, 2+2=5.

This is similar to an ad hominem; however, nobody is directly attacked... unless they choose to join the group of self-evident fools who would dare go against the initial claim. In self-evident truths, an assertion includes a phrase that will make the listener feel or appear intellectually or morally inferior if they not agree with the assertion. In a way, a self-evident truth fallacy is like a preemptive ad hominem.