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LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments
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LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

Dec 13, 2015

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Page 1: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

LOGICAL FALLACIESthe above link gives you an introduction to the issue

Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments

Page 2: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

Introduction: Nine Fallacies

Emotionally Loaded Terms

Ad Hominem

Faulty Cause and Effect (Post Hoc ergo propter hoc )

Either/Or Reasoning (Bifurcation)

Hasty Generalization

False Analogy

Begging the Question (Circular Reasoning or Tautology )

Non Sequitar (“It does not follow)

Oversimplification

Page 3: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

RHETORICAL APPEALS: USING LOGOS, ETHOS, PATHOS

LOGOS = LOGIC and REASON= Soundness of facts, evidence, statistics, and reasoning; soundness of authority’s statements outside self; well-documented evidence

ETHOS = Credibility and reliability of writer him/herself; character and reputation of the author

PATHOS = EMOTION = Appeal to needs, values, and attitudes; uses the emotional power of language

Page 4: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

Definition

Logical fallacies are flaws in reasoning that lead to faulty, illogical statements. They are unreasonable argumentative tactics named for what has gone wrong during the reasoning process.

Page 5: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

Most logical fallacies masquerade as reasonable statements, but they are in fact attempts to manipulate readers by reaching their emotions instead of their intellects.

Page 6: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

Fallacy: Emotionally Loaded Terms

Example:

You slowly poison your children when you

feed them fast food.

Definition: Using emotionally charged words to distract the reader from the real argument (a type of red herring).

Page 7: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

Emotionally Loaded Arguments Offer too Blatant an Appeal to Emotions

Appeal to emotions manipulates people’s emotions in order to get their attention away from an important issue.

You commit the fallacy of appeal to emotions when someone’s appeal to you to accept their claim is accepted merely because the appeal arouses your feelings or anger, fear, grief, love, outrage, pity, pride, sexuality, sympathy, relief, and so forth.

Page 8: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

Ad Hominem

Latin for to the manDirectly attacks someone’s appearance, personal habits, or character rather than focusing on the merit of the issue at hand. The implication is that if something is wrong with this person, whatever he/she says must be wrong.

How can you say he’s a good musician when he’s been in and out of rehab for three years?

Page 9: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

Ad Hominem – Making it Personal

Sara is divorced, so whatever relationship advice she gives you can’t be good.

It is the suggestions, not the person who makes them that deserve attention. Sara’s marital status has nothing to do with the quality of her advice. Isn’t it also possible that Sara could be married and give awful advice?

If my husband forgot to wash his dish, I would move out too. You did the right thing, Carol.

Page 10: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.
Page 11: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

Post Hoc FallacyFaulty cause-and-effect reasoning

Just because two events occur in close proximity does not mean that one is necessarily related to the other.

Example: After President Clinton took office, the economy stabilized. Obviously the Clinton Administration’s fiscal policies were effective.

Example: A black cat crossed Babbs' path yesterday and, sure enough, she was involved in an automobile accident later that same afternoon.

Page 12: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

Does the Cause Equal the Effect?

Page 13: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

Either – Or / False Dilemma

A false dilemma asserts that a complex situation can have only two possible outcomes and that one of the options is necessary or preferable.

Either go to college or forget about making money.

This falsely implies that a college education is a pre-requisite for financial success.

Was it her college education that made Britney tons of money?

Page 14: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

http://www.cafepress.com

Either/Or

Page 15: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

Hasty Generalization

A hasty generalization is a conclusion based on insufficient or unrepresentative evidence.

Stereotyping and Sexism are forms of this fallacy.

Take, for example common dumb blonde jokes:

Q: What do you call a blonde skeleton in the closet?

A: Last year's hide-and-go-seek winner.

Page 16: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

Example of a Generalization

The only redheads I know are rude.

Therefore, all redheads must have bad

manners.

If the speaker only knows two redheads, then he has insufficient evidence to make the general claim about all people with that hair color.

Page 17: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

False Analogy

An analogy points out similarities in things that are otherwise different. A false analogy claims comparison when differences outweigh similarities. Essentially, it’s comparing apples and oranges!

Page 18: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

False Analogy Example

If we can put a man on the moon, why

can’t we find the cure for the common

cold?

While both things being compared here are related to science, there are more differences than similarities between space and biological advancements.

Page 19: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

False Analogy (Continued)

Page 20: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

Begging the Question

This is a kind of circular argument where the support only restates the claim.

Wrestling is dangerous because it is unsafe.

Jogging is fun because it is enjoyable.

Unsafe means the same thing as dangerous and fun means the same thing as enjoyable. This makes the reasoning circular.

Page 21: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

Circular reasoning

http://www.cafepress.com

Page 22: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

Non Sequitur (Does Not Follow)

A conclusion that does not follow logically from preceding statements or that is based on irrelevant data:

Mary loves children, so will make an excellent school teacher.

Page 23: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

Non Sequitar (continued)

Page 24: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

Oversimplification

This fallacy occurs when a series of actual causes are reduced to the point where there is no longer a genuine connection between the cause and effect.

Often a result of trying not to bog a reader down with too many details, but oversimplification can lead you down bad roads.

For example, – School violence has gone up and academic performance

has gone down ever since racial segregation was banned. Therefore, segregation should be reintroduced, resulting in school improvement.

Page 25: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

Oversimplification

Oversimplifying. Giving easy, smug, or pat answers to complicated questions, sometimes by appealing to emotion rather than logic. Examples: “Guns don’t kill-people do” is an overly simple but popular argument against gun control. It sounds good but it doesn’t address the complex problem that the availability of guns poses in our society.

Page 26: LOGICAL FALLACIES LOGICAL FALLACIES the above link gives you an introduction to the issue Common Mistakes in Weak Arguments.

Logical Fallacies

These fallacies of argument can effectively incite action as well as be the type of material filling up banners, stickers, and especially, advertisements. However, as intellectuals we are expected to bring an equal measure of logic and passion to our decisions. Therefore, keep an eye out for these fallacies as the television or computer is likely exposing these to you right now!