Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

The Logic of ADHD: A Brief Review of Fallacious Reasoning

  • Published:
Studies in Philosophy and Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper has two central purposes: the first is to survey some of the more important examples of fallacious argument, and the second is to examine the frequent use of these fallacies in support of the psychological construct: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The paper divides 12 familiar fallacies into three different categories—material, psychological and logical—and contends that advocates of ADHD often seem to employ these fallacies to support their position. It is suggested that all researchers, whether into ADHD or otherwise, need to pay much closer attention to the construction of their arguments if they are not to make truth claims unsupported by satisfactory evidence, form or logic.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aristotle. (40BC/1938). Organon. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.

  • Bacon, F. (1620/1889). Novum organum. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

  • Bentham, J. (1824). Book of fallacies: From unfinished papers of Jeremy Bentham. London: Hunt.

  • Breggin, P. (1998). Talking back to ritalin: What doctors aren’t telling you about stimulants for children. Monroe: Common Courage Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bromfield, R. (1996). Is ritalin overprescribed? Yes. Priorities, 8(3), 24–28. American Council on Science and Health.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fearnside, W., & Holther, W. (1959). Fallacy: The counterfeit of argument. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foucault, M. (1977). Discipline and punish: The birth of the prison. Harmondsworth: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, G. (1992). ADD: Acronym for any kind of dysfunction or difficulty. The Journal of Special Education, 26(1), 37–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Green, C., & Chee, K. (1997). Understanding ADHD: Attention deficit hyperactive disorder. Australia: Doubleday.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hurley, P., & Eme, R. (2004). ADHD and the criminal justice system: Spinning out of control. LLC: BookSurge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacobs, B. (2002, September 6). Australian children at risk. Law and Policy Journal of the National Children’s and Youth Law Centre, Article 13, 7.

  • Kewley, G. (1999). Attention deficit hyperactivity: Disorder, recognition reality, resolution. David Fulton: London.

  • Magill-Lewis, J. (2000). Psychotropics and kids. Drug Topics, 3, 35–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCarthy, J. (2007). Top 10 Questions about ADHD Drugs...Answered! ADDitude, January, pp. 6–8.

  • Mill, J. S. (1843/1925). A system of logic. London: Longman.

  • Popper, K. (1963). Conjectures and refutations: The growth of scientific knowledge. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rose, N. (1990). Governing the soul: The shaping of the private self. London: Routledge.

  • Russell, B. (1912/1983). The problems of philosophy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

  • Schopenhauer, A. (1896/2007). The art of controversy. New York: Cosimo.

  • Silver, L. (2008). Ask the medical expert: The consequences of untreated ADHD. Cited January 19, 2008 from http://www.additudemag.com/Q&A/.

  • Tait, G. (2001). Pathologising difference, governing personality. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 29(1), 93–102. doi:10.1080/13598660120032996.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • The Age. (2007, April 26). ADHD drugs reduce violence: Doctors, p. 8.

  • Weist, M., Acosta, O., Tashman, N., Nabom, L., & Albus, K. (1999). Changing paradigms in child and adolescent psychiatry: Towards expanded school mental health. American Society for Adolescent Psychology, 24, 119–131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Woodrich, D. (1994). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Baltimore: Brookes.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yong, T. (2006, April 30). ADHD in the school bully. New Straits Times, p. 11.

  • You, Q.A. Health Questions and Answers, (2008). My 10 year old and I have ADHD. Cited January 21, 2008 from http://www.youqa.cn/html/mental/0101/mental82328.html.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gordon Tait.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Tait, G. The Logic of ADHD: A Brief Review of Fallacious Reasoning. Stud Philos Educ 28, 239–254 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11217-008-9114-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11217-008-9114-2

Keywords

Navigation