In his short story, “Love is a Fallacy”, author Max Schulman narrates the attempt of a young

man to use logic as his advantage to pursuit love. Ironically, however, he falls victim to his own
fallacies. Through his use of sophisticated diction and satirical tone, Schulman proves that in
certain cases logic does not apply.

The foreshadowing was clear from the very beginning, that the protagonist’s arrogance and
narcissism will inevitably be his downfall. Although the protagonist is not a very likable
character, Schulman’s display of haughtiness turned mocking makes one read ‘till the very end
to see if the protagonist will succeed in his endeavor at all.

The way the protagonist thinks that because he is well comprehended, he can easily be an
eligible boyfriend and husband, is a logical fallacy in itself. This further proves that even the
smartest could be outwitted when it comes to love and romance.

The irony and hypocrisy of the situation in the story is so brilliant and well constructed. I like the
way Schulman demonstrates how logic and emotions, especially love, does not coexist. Both
love and logic may hold truth but merging the two ideas so that they may justify each other is
simply not possible.

In a logical sense, it may be concluded that love is a fallacy. Not in the way that it is purely a
fabrication but because of how the way it works. Love sometimes disregards clear indications of
error. It usually fails to recognize the most obvious warnings because it is blinded by what it only
wants to see.Though it has all the qualities of a fallacy, love is definitely not a fallacy. Nor is it a
mere deception. It is so much more than having someone to complete our pieces.
For a lot of people, it could be their lifeline, their surrender. Because in this tumultuous world,
love is the only thing that could bring us happiness and stability. It would be unfair to conclude it
a fallacy just because of how unexplainable and unpredictable it is.

In the short story, the protagonist must understand that it takes more than knowledge, logic, or
reason to create an emotional connection. Love and logic are two incomparable ideas. One
cannot live without both, but it would be a futile attempt to be logical about love.
 Love is a fallacy

Story review

Passed by: jp antenor