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Assuming The Negative

This is a phrase I'm coining to represent a fallacy I have to deal with frequently due to my often poor communication skills.

Anecdotal: Humans have a tendency to infer or interpret a remark in a way that was never declared; when this happens the majority seem to interpret the negative perpsective. (Especially when communicating with a stranger)

Example:

If I were to say to someone "I like your shirt more than I like your pants", I have not explicitly stated that I don't like the pants, however most people will commit the logical fallacy of 'Assuming The Negative'—interpreting what I said as, "I like your shirt, I don't like your pants". It is possible to like both a lot and state that I like one more than the other. I could like the shirt 10/10 and the pants 9.5/10 and say "I like your shirt more than I like your pants [I like both a ton]".

Notes:

My brother pointed out to me that you can also 'Assume the Positive' and be at fallacy, "I like your shirt more than I like your pants [I hate them both]". Shirt is a 1/10 and pants are a 0/10.

Albert Renshaw, Last Updated: May 1 2019