The Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy

The Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy 

The Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy derived from a joke about a Texan who shoots gunshots at the side of a barn, then proceeds to paint a target around the largest cluster of bullet shots, claiming himself as a sharpshooter. This visual demonstrates the error with using this procedure to come to conclusions. The Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy is when an argument is made and then confirmed by using the exact same set of information or facts. Instead of using a cause to explain or confirm the effect, the roles are reversed, confirming or claiming the effect was due to the cause. Individuals who use this type of fallacy often only look at the information that is worthy in explaining or defending their side of the argument, while ignoring all other facts or information that is still relevant. 

      In other words, the Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy is related to confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is the tendency to pursue information and interpret in a way that then confirms and endorses one’s already preconceived views or prejudices.  By doing so, individuals are in return ignoring information and data because it may challenge and test their own beliefs. As it is known, ignoring crucial and apparent information and data can only hurt one’s chances of successfully wining an argument and causes inaccurate conclusions to be drawn. 

An example of the Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy could be this:

Amy should become a nurse because she is great at science, enjoys helping others, and is very interested in human health.

Looking at this information off the bat, one may think that yes, Amy should become a nurse because yes, she has a lot of qualities that nurses embody. However what if you saw these other facts about Amy?

Amy hates blood and often faints at the sight of it, has a fear of needles, and refuses being within yards of anyone who is sick and could be contagious.

These facts about Amy, which were ignored before, would totally disprove the original argument that Amy should become a nurse.

            This small example shows how dangerous the use of the Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy can be when trying to successfully win an argument and come to logical conclusions. It is much more reliable and accurate to look at all the information and data when making an argument, rather than just picking and choosing the pieces that work with one’s already preconceived idea.