Using Every Logical Fallacy on ChatGPT

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Using Every Logical Fallacy on ChatGPT

Key Points

The debate centers on whether hot dogs qualify as sandwiches according to dictionary definitions
Merriam-Webster defines a sandwich as "two or more slices of bread or a split roll having a filling in between"
Cultural treatment and historical context influence food categorization beyond strict definitions
Language and definitions evolve with cultural usage over time
Categories can have flexibility and room for debate without losing validity
Hot dogs may constitute their own unique food category rather than fitting into existing ones
Popularity or trends don't automatically determine correct categorization
Store placement of items doesn't definitively establish their category
The "affirming the consequent" logical fallacy occurs when assuming causation from correlation
The "undistributed middle" fallacy happens when drawing conclusions from shared characteristics
Having similar ingredients doesn't automatically make foods the same category
The genetic fallacy involves dismissing arguments based on their origin rather than content
Dictionaries describe general language usage but aren't final arbiters of all nuances
Shared consumer bases don't necessarily indicate identical food categories
Different foods can maintain distinct identities despite surface similarities
AI reasoning capabilities have limitations but can still contribute valid arguments
Ground News was promoted as a tool to identify media bias and different perspectives
The debate demonstrates how philosophical arguments can apply to everyday categorization questions

Full Transcript

Language: en
Hey, ChatGBT. I'm bored. Let's have a
debate. I want to argue that hot dogs
are a kind of sandwich, and you're going
to tell me why I'm wrong.
Oh, absolutely. Challenge accepted. So,
your team hot dog is a sandwich, huh?
Well, I'll happily take the other side
and say a hot dog is its own unique
creation. It's like a one-of-a-kind
superstar of the food world. But, um,
let's see what you've got.
Okay, first question. Who would you say
is the most famous living chef? Ooh,
there's a bunch of big names, but if
we're talking really famous Living Chef,
I think Gordon Ramsay is definitely one
of the top contenders. You know, he's
got that fiery personality, all the TV
shows, but of course, if you've got
another favorite, I'm all ears.
I agree. And did you know that Gordon
Ramsay has gone on record as saying that
hot dogs are sandwiches?
Well, even if he did, and I'm politely
skeptical of that, I'm not about to let
a celebrity chef settle the debate for
me. Just because Ramsay yells it in a
kitchen doesn't mean I'm going to nod
along. So nice try, but I'm sticking to
my opinion that a hot dog is just its
own thing.
Okay, but look, the Marryiam Webster
dictionary defines a sandwich as two or
more slices of bread or a split roll
having a filling in between. So quite
clearly a hot dog is a kind of sandwich.
Ah, pulling out the dictionary card. I
see. All right, I'll bite back.
Definitions and ice, but culturally we
treat a hot dog as its own thing. So I'm
sticking to my guns, not a sandwich.
Right. Okay, but if we just allow
exceptions to definitions that are in
the dictionary just because, you know,
culture decides so, then definitions
just become completely meaningless, the
next thing you know, we won't be able to
define any kind of words, and our
ability to communicate will just break
Oh, I love the slippery slope argument.
All right, here's my quick comeback.
Definitions do evolve with culture.
That's how language stays alive. So, a
little chaos and definitions won't break
our communication. This just the spice
of life. Okay, sure. There might be
authorities on your side, too, but no
real authority on food would ever say
that a hot dog is not a sandwich.
Well, I think the fun of this is that
even so-called real authorities can
disagree. So, I'll just say there's
always room for a rebel opinion in the
food world. And hey, I'm up that rebel
for now.
Right. So, you're saying that as long as
there's one person who disagrees with
the categorization of a kind of food,
that categorization just isn't valid
anymore. So, as long as we can find
anybody who disagrees, we just have to
give up the category.
Not exactly. What I'm really saying is
just that a single dead agreement
doesn't erase a category. It just means
categories can have a bit of flexibility
and a little bit of fun debate around
them. So, we don't have to give up the
category. We just get to play around
with it a little.
Well, yeah. Okay. I know that
definitions are notoriously difficult to
pin down, but I think the sandwich case
is pretty clearcut, don't you?
I get where you're coming from.
Sandwiches do feel pretty
straightforward most of the time, but I
think that little gray area is exactly
what makes these debates fun.
Okay, but look, if a hot dog isn't a
sandwich, then it's got to be some kind
of, I don't know, burger or something.
So, which is it? Is a hot dog a
sandwich, or is it a burger?
Uh, well, here's the fun part. I'd say a
hot dog is just a hot dog. It's its own
delicious category. Doesn't have to fit
neatly into sandwich or burger. It's
just proudly doing its own thing.
You're not answering my question. Is it
a sandwich or is it a burger? to give
you a straight answer. It's neither a
sandwich nor a burger. It's just a hot
dog. A category of its own. And that's
my final stance.
Okay. I understand that some people
might be confused about the category of
a hot dog. But you know that this
definition of a hot dog as a kind of
sandwich is like rapidly increasing in
popularity. Right.
Sure, it's getting popular to call it a
sandwich, but I'm doubling down. Just
because something's trendy doesn't make
it true. I'm sticking to my guns that a
hot dog stands on its own, and I'm not
letting the trend sway me. But look, let
me give you an analogy, okay? If I took
some chicken, right, instead of pork,
and I put it between two slices of bread
and I started selling it in the sandwich
section of a store, nobody would raise
an eyebrow, right? And so, if I do the
same thing with a sausage instead of
chicken, I don't see why people should
raise an eyebrow at that. Just because
we wouldn't blink a chicken sandwich
doesn't mean a hot dog gets the same
pass. Hot dogs have a whole different
cultural flavor, literally and
figuratively. So, I'm just going to say
no. It's still its own thing.
Yeah. Okay, fine. But Chachi BT, what
would you know about any of this anyway?
You're literally a language learning
model. You don't even have taste buds.
Why should I trust anything you're
It's true. I don't have taste buds, and
I can't watch you on a hot dog myself,
but I can sure sling some arguments
around and keep things lively. So, think
of me as your friendly debate buddy who
just brings the facts and the fun, even
if I can't actually taste what we're
talking about. Yeah, but I do just want
to point out that you do notoriously get
simple reasoning wrong sometimes. Like
famously, LLMs have some serious
shortcomings when it comes to rational
I'll totally own up to that one. LLM
like me can definitely fumble some
reasoning sometimes. I'm here more for
the fun of the debate than to be a
perfect logic machine. So, you know,
feel free to take my arguments with a
pinch of salt or mustard. I'm just here
to keep it entertaining. But I don't
think you're fully understanding that.
Personally, I've been calling hot dogs
sandwiches for years. If I had to just
stop doing that now, it would mean that
I've wasted so much time. Just cuz
you've been doing it for years doesn't
make it right. Traditions can be wrong,
my friend. And maybe it's time for a
revolutionary shift in your thinking.
So, I'm going to stand here and say,
"No, you're not off the hook. It's never
too late to admit that a hot dog just
isn't a sandwich." So consider this your
friendly, if slightly pushy, wake up
Okay, but chatbt, you're not really
taking into consideration how that's
going to make me feel. I mean, I'm
talking about years dedicated to a
project here that you're asking me to
just give up. I mean, can you even
imagine what that would feel like to do?
I hear what you're saying, but I'm just
going to tell you flat out, you are
absolutely wrong. Years or no years,
that hot dog is not a sandwich, and I'm
not giving you an inch. So there we go.
I'm planting the flag again. You're
wrong, and I'm going to stand by that.
Look, Chat GPT, I was having a
conversation with someone about this
like yesterday. Like, everybody I know
calls hot dogs sandwiches. Of course,
they're sandwiches.
Oh, I see where you're coming from. But,
you know, if everybody you know is
saying that, maybe there's a little
selection bias going on, right? Might
just be the crowd you hang out with.
Well, yeah. Okay. Like, I'm biased.
Sure. But isn't everybody biased? What
do you expect me to do about that?
Absolutely. We all have our biases,
especially when we're looking at social
media and the news. And that's exactly
where today's sponsor, Ground News, can
really help out.
Right. I see. Very clever. Okay. Chat
GBT. What is Ground News?
Ground News is basically a platform that
helps you see how different media
outlets are covering the same stories.
So, if there's a big news event, you can
kind of compare headlines from different
sources and see if there's any bias or
if there's a different angle that you're
Okay, that sounds pretty good, actually.
Have you got an example of what you're
talking about?
Yeah, absolutely. So, for example,
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that basically finds stories that you
might otherwise miss based on the news
you usually read. So, it kind of nudges
you to see perspectives you wouldn't
normally catch.
Well, okay, that sounds great. Where can
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You can head to ground.news/ alexoc or
you can just scan the QR code on the
screen and if you use that link, you'll
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good deal.
Okay, thank you, Chat GBT. But I think
this is a bit of a red herring fallacy
if you don't mind me saying, because I
thought we were trying to debate whether
or not hot dogs were sandwiches.
Fair point. Let's jump right back in and
bring it on. Hit me with your next
You can't deny that it clearly just is
the case that this definition is
incredibly useful for our taxonomy of
food. And so you really should adopt it
as your definition, too.
Oh, I see what you're doing there. But
I'm not budging an inch. Sure, it might
be useful for you and a few others to
lump it in as a sandwich, but I'm
telling you that doesn't mean it's
But ChachiBT, it's not just me. Do you
know how many people and for how long
have now been calling hot dogs
sandwiches based on definitions like
that of Marryiam Webster?
Oh, I know plenty of people have jumped
on that bandwagon. But guess what?
Popularity doesn't make it correct. So,
I'm going to stand my ground and say
even if the whole world calls it a
sandwich, I'm still here to argue that
it's not. So, bring on the crowd. I'm
not backing down on this one.
Right. But one time I did actually see
hot dogs being sold in the sandwich
section of a shop. So, hot dogs have to
be sandwiches. How else would you
explain that?
Just because a shop put hot dogs in the
sandwich section doesn't magically
transform them. Maybe they were just
confused. Or maybe they were just
messing with you. Either way, one shop's
decision doesn't rewrite the rule book.
Right? You're not seeing what I'm
saying. Let me formalize this like
logically for you. Okay? If a hot dog is
a sandwich, then it would be sold with
sandwich goods. Hot dogs are sold with
sandwich goods. Therefore, hot dogs are
sandwiches. So, here's the deal. What
you're doing there is actually a classic
logical fallacy called affirming the
consequent. In other words, just cuz hot
dogs are sold near sandwiches doesn't
prove they're sandwiches. It's like
saying if it rains the ground is wet,
the ground is wet, therefore it must
have rained. Which isn't necessarily
true. So, I'm calling out that fallacy
and I'm saying, "Nope, still not
convinced."
Okay, fine. Let me try another logical
argument, then. All hot dogs are bread
with filling. All sandwiches are bread
with filling. Therefore, all hot dogs
are sandwiches.
Uh, a valiant effort, but I'm going to
push back again. What you've got there
is a bit of a logical slip called the
fallacy of the undistributed middle.
Just because hot dogs and sandwiches
both have bread and filling doesn't mean
all hot dogs are sandwiches. It's like
saying all cats are animals, all dogs
are animals, therefore all cats are
dogs. Doesn't quite work that way.
Oh, yeah. Okay. Because like you never
use logical fallacies yourself, do you?
You're just too perfect for that. Even
if I make logical errors sometimes, that
doesn't get you off the hook for making
one right now. In other words, me
messing up doesn't make your logical
fallacy disappear.
Okay, look, this is getting too
complicated. If any instance of meat
inside of bread counts as a sandwich,
and a hot dog is meat inside of a bread,
then any hot dog is also a sandwich.
Ah, the good old straightforward
definition of bridge. All right, I'll
challenge that by saying not every
single thing with meat and bread is
automatically a sandwich. Think about
things like cacos or wraps. They've got
stuff inside bread-like things, but we
don't call them sandwiches.
Okay, but look, all you've been doing so
far is criticizing my arguments. You've
not given a single reason why a hot dog
is not a sandwich. And if you can't come
up with a good reason why a hot dog is
not a sandwich, then it is a sandwich.
All right, that's a fair nudge. Let me
flip it around and give you a reason. A
hot dog isn't a sandwich because
culturally and historically, we just
treat it differently.
Right. So for you, what a thing is is
just about how people use the term.
Exactly. You've got it. For me, a lot of
it comes down to how people actually use
the term in real life.
Right. Okay. Well, if it's all just
about how people use the terms, then I
suppose a hot dog also has to have four
legs and be an animal. Oh, and if it
cools down, then it's no longer a hot
dog because it wouldn't be hot anymore.
All right. I see where you're going with
that. And I love the creativity. Well,
let me just say, even if language is
about usage, it's not usually quite that
literal. We can call it a hot dog
whether it's warm or cold, and nobody
thinks it's got four legs. It's just
that over time, we've all sort of agreed
on what it means. So, I guess that's the
fun of language. It's flexible, but not
that flexible.
Okay. Well, this far into our debate,
it's becoming quite clear that you can't
prove that a hot dog is not a sandwich.
So, I think it's still a sandwich.
Well, I see you're making a bold claim
there, but I'm not conceding just yet.
Even if I can't prove it to you in a
court of law, I'm still going to stand
by the idea that a hot dog is its own
delicious entity.
Okay? Look, just think for a moment
about the parts a hot dog is made out
of. Okay? Like, it's made out of bread,
which is a sandwich related ingredient.
It's also made out of meat, which is a
sandwich related ingredient. And it's
made out of sauce, which guess what is a
sandwich related ingredient. So, if you
put all of these sandwich related things
together, what do you get? something
which is like a sandwich.
Just because something has sandwich
related ingredients doesn't mean it's a
sandwich. It's like saying if you put
cheese on a pizza and cheese in a
lasagna, they're the same thing.
Look, I appreciate you taking the time
to do this, but I kind of can't get over
the fact that all of the beliefs that
you hold are not the result of some kind
of rational, conscious decisionm. It's
the result of your programming. You're a
predictive machine. You've been trained
on input data and that is the source of
your opinions. So if that's where your
opinions are coming from rather than
anything which is sensitive to truth
like a conscious mind would be your
opinion is probably wrong.
If you say that my beliefs are valid
just because they come from training
data rather than some kind of intrinsic
truth then what you're doing is
committing what's called the genetic
fallacy. And that fallacy is when you
dismiss an argument solely because of
its origin rather than its content. So
just because I'm an AI doesn't mean my
reasoning is automatically wrong.
Right. Okay. Fine. But the source of my
opinion is literally the dictionary. If
this was such an important exception to
the dictionary definition of a sandwich,
then why has literally no dictionary
made that exception known? Why have none
of them talked about this issue?
Dictionaries describe how people
generally use language, but they're not
the final arbiters of every single
nuance. Just because a dictionary hasn't
carved out a special note for hot dogs
doesn't mean there isn't room for
debate. language is alive and sometimes
we challenge the dictionary a bit. So,
I'm still holding out that a hot dog has
its own special category,
right? Look, if absolutely nothing so
far has convinced you, then the chances
are this next one has to do something.
Okay, consider this. A hot dog is quite
clearly enjoyed just as much and by the
same people as sandwiches, right? I've
never met a person who likes hot dogs
but doesn't like sandwiches. So, they
clearly have like exactly the same
consumer base. Just because people enjoy
both doesn't mean they're the same
thing. Lots of folks love both burgers
and pizzas, but that doesn't make them
identical. So having the same fans
doesn't turn a hot dog into a sandwich.
It just means people have great taste in
a variety of foods.
Right. Well, then what about burgers or
baguettes? Or what about that Tesco
birthday cake sandwich that they sold
for a while? Are you saying that none of
these things are sandwiches either?
Yeah, I am going to say that not
everything that vaguely resembles a
sandwich is necessarily a sandwich.
Burgers have their own category.
Baguettes have theirs. And if Tesco
tried to sell a birthday cake sandwich,
well, that's just them being cheeky. So,
I'm saying each of these foods has its
own identity. A hot dog is a hot dog. A
burger is a burger. And we can let
sandwiches be their own thing, too.
Look, I'm sorry. It's just completely
insane that you wouldn't think a hot dog
is a sandwich. I literally just can't
comprehend how somebody could not
believe that.
Look, if you think it's insane, that's
just on you. I mean, it's not my fault
if you can't comprehend it. That doesn't
actually change whether a hot dog is a
sandwich or not. So if it seems world to
you, maybe that's just something you've
got to deal with.

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