Authors : Sujay Rao Mandavilli

Volume/Issue : Volume 10 - 2025, Issue 10 - October

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/mr4hvzwv

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/32vkf825

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/25oct1327

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Abstract : This paper is by no means our first one on scientific fallacies, we had published at least two papers on this topic earlier over the last couple of years or so. The earlier papers were tied to the twin concepts of discourse analysis and narrative analysis, two emerging concepts in the social sciences, and ones with immense potential. We had proposed in those earlier papers, that both discourse analysis and narrative analysis, i.e. a perusal and scrutiny of scientific papers and scientific literature would enable us to discover and unearth i.e. bring to the fore, a large number of scientific fallacies. The underlying assumption behind this assertion is that the current compendium of scientific fallacies is grossly and woefully inadequate, and does not lend itself to high quality research. We therefore begin this paper by reviewing the current set of fallacies, or at least the most important ones, and show how they are used in science. We also distinguish between formal fallacies and informal fallacies, and propose an entirely new distinction, namely direct fallacies and indirect fallacies. The latter only influence scientific outcomes indirectly, and one or more downstream fallacies could be tied to them. They may also be labeled and termed as fallacy inducing situations. We will argue that indirect fallacies must be documented in order to improve the quality of scientific research; this is the imperative need of the day given that the entire discipline of the philosophy of science is badly outdated. Of course, the philosophy of science itself needs to be taught in schools at the appropriate level, and we will argue that the entire science of pedagogy is badly outdated too.

References :

1. Swiveling from an enumeration of scientific fallacies to a root cause analysis of scientific fallacies: An approach with immense implications for science Sujay Rao Mandavilli SSRN, August 2025
2. Initiating “discourse analysis” as a tool to differentiate between science and pseudoscience: Another valuable tool to advance objectivity and rigour in science, Sujay Rao Mandavilli, Published IJISRT, June 2024
3. A practical compendium of top life skills and universal human values from a social sciences perspective, Sujay Rao Mandavilli, Google books, 2025
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21. Advancing the use of “Continuous zero-based reassessment of assumptions, hypotheses and methods”: A vital tool and technique in the interests of better science IJISRT 2024:  1.  February, Sujay Rao Mandavilli
22. Sujay Rao Mandavilli (2024)  Towards a formal analysis of “vested interests” as an intrinsic part of social science research techniques: Another crucial component of social and cultural progress IJISRT 2024:  September
23. Developing methods, tools and techniques to identify and isolate ideologies: Why this is an essential prerequisite of twenty-first century science and nonscience, Sujay Rao Mandavilli, 2025
24. Sujay Rao Mandavilli (2025)  Envisaging a new era in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research: Presenting the COMPASS model for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research IJISRT 2025:  June
25. Sujay Rao Mandavilli (2024)  Implementing “Epistemic coherentism” in twenty-first century science: “Epistemic coherentism” as an essential pre-requisite of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research IJISRT 2024:  November
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30. Newbold D, Roberts J (2007). "An analysis of the demarcation problem in science and its application to therapeutic touch theory". International Journal of Nursing Practice. 13 (6): 324–30
31. Sujay Rao Mandavilli (2025)  Differentiating strong data and evidence from weak data and evidence: Another heuristic for use in general and social sciences research IJISRT 2025:  June
32. Sujay Rao Mandavilli (2023)  Redefining Intellectualism for a post-globalized world: Why present-day intellectualism is obsolete and why a comprehensive reassessment of intellectualism is required IJISRT 2023:  August
33. Sujay Rao Mandavilli (2019)  Generic Identity Theory for the Twenty-first Century: Towards grand unified approaches in identity formation, identity transformation and identity dilution or neutralization.
34. Sujay Rao Mandavilli (2023)  Formulating ‘Extended identity theory’ for twenty-first century social sciences research: Modeling extended identity in relation to real-world observations and data IJISRT 2023:  July.  1 July. 
35. Sujay Rao Mandavilli (2023)  Postulating ‘Ethnography of Enculturation’: A high-level overview of various social science research techniques that can be used to study human enculturation processes IJISRT 2023:  July.  1