It is argued here that the general view, especially in the social sciences, of the specific status of evaluation is still deeply impregnated with completely absurd misrepresentations. A number of the worst are documented and refuted here, along with some suggestions as to their roots. It is stressed that the consequences of this tangled net of methodological and logical fallacies is not mere scientific confusion but flawed evaluation designs and consequent actions on a global scale. And those costs will continue to accumulate, perhaps even accelerate, if evaluators are not both thoroughly trained in the basic lessons and active in promulgating them.