A Moment in time...Logical Fallacies are errors in reasoning Understanding what these are and avoiding them helps us to learn in a more clear fashion. Eliminating these from your arguments

LOGICAL FALLACIES

Logical Fallacies are errors in reasoning

Understanding what these are and avoiding them helps us to

learn in a more clear fashion.

Eliminating these from your arguments make your position

stronger

Knowing about these helps to understand what information to

value

Our society not only uses logical fallacies but even relies on them

Latin Names but not unique to western

thought by a long shot!

Let’s explore

Ad Hominem – personal attack or

focusing on the arguer

If a fault can be found with the arguer

then the valid case he is making can be

disregarded, right?

One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a

question, testing Him, "Teacher, which is the

great commandment in the Law?"

(Mat 22:35-36 NASB)

Problems with ad hominem is when people

who have done great things in religion or

elsewhere do something horrible the

inclination is to reject the good they did.

(HWA for example)

Appeal to Authority

Works at least two ways:

• If the arguer has no authority his testimony

can’t be valid

• If the arguer is under an authority then

he’s bound to those constraints

When He entered the temple, the chief

priests and the elders of the people came to

Him while He was teaching, and said, "By

what authority are You doing these things,

and who gave You this authority?"

(Mat 21:23 NASB)

Outright rejection of Authority (CD special)

• Not “authority” like being the boss, “authority” as having

mastered a concept or skill.

• Problems with theologians who know the truth and don’t teach

it tempt us to reject anyone who has classical education

• Problems with abusive leaders inclines toward anarchy

Guilt by Association

• One application is that because someone came out of such

and such church, then they’re eternally biased in their

approach

• The JW factor: no pork, no Christmas, no Trinity – ohhh,

you’re a JW

• People constantly trying to put others in boxes

Appeal to Wealth and Appeal to Poverty

• Eastern vs Western philosophy: respecting wealth

and power versus being suspicious of wealth and

authority (authority like being the boss)

• Appeal to wealth assumes that increased cost or

success equates to global authority

• Appeal to poverty contrasts appeal to wealth

because it assumes if the poor may be harmed then

an idea must be bad.

Both appeal to wealth and poverty in one shot!

"For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and

drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon!' "The

Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you

say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a

friend of tax collectors and sinners!’”

(Luk 7:33-34 NASB)

The Straw Man

• Set them up and knock them down: this is more of a

debate tool than a fallacy. One misrepresents or

grossly exaggerates the other’s position and then

pokes holes at the argument.

• Big example is the gun debate: the argument that

banning bump stocks is going to lead to some

universal firearm confiscation. Similar to slippery

slope

The Halo Effect

• This is the idea that because someone does one thing

so well we tend to think they do all things well:

example when celebrities testify to congress

• Manifested through physical attractiveness as well

• Commercial where they put a suit on a DJ and call

him a financial advisor

Checking out completely: “thinking outside the

box” to the extreme

• Recant real story in the late 90s/early 2000s when

a company specifically hired people who had ZERO

expertise in industries and started changing things

wholesale. The disrespect to the experienced

workers, education, and disasters that ensued – but

it works once in a while!

Sources

• These are very common points that don’t necessarily

require sourcing, but I did use these two sites in my

prep. There are many more fallacies to explore,

give it a shot!

• https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-

tools/fallacies/

• http://www.logicalfallacies.info/

Conclusions

• Check biases at the door

• Strive for objectivity

• Do give credit where credit is due: education and

experience actually do matter but not a lock

• Evaluate ideas and people on their merits