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WHAT ARE FALLACIES?
hey are errors
or mistakes in
reasoning.
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Fallacies
Committed in aDebate
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Argumentum ad Hominem
Attacking a persons characterinstead of the content of thatpersons argument.
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Examples:Examples:Don't believe anything ohnDon't believe anything ohn
says!says! he's a nerd."he's a nerd."
#$he members of the opposition#$he members of the oppositionare a couple of anarchists%"are a couple of anarchists%"
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&ne of the scientists has beentreated for emotional problems
so his pessimism about nuclear
(aste merits no attention.
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Argumentum ad )gnorantiam
Concluding thatsomething is true
since you cant
prove its false.
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*od does not e+ist since no one*od does not e+ist since no one
cancan demonstrate that He doesdemonstrate that He does
e+ist.e+ist.
$here is no proof that$here is no proof that(itches do e+ist!(itches do e+ist!
therefore they do not.therefore they do not.
Examples:Examples:
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,obody has ever sho(n me it isfalse that psychic surgery cures
cancer so ) believe Clara (hen
she says psychic surgery curedher cancer.
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Argumentum ad -isericordiam
Appealing to a personsunfortunate circumstance
as a (ay of getting
someone to accept a
conclusion. He may even
admit the contention of hisopponent and appeals to
pity and commiseration.
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+amples/#0our honor ho( can the prosecution
dare try to send this poor defenseless
child to 1ail for the murder of his father
and mother. Have a heart! the boy isno( an orphan.#
2lease dont arrest me ) have (ife2lease dont arrest me ) have (ifeand kids to support.and kids to support.
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Argumentum ad 2opulum
This fallacy is committed
when the disputantevades the real issue andappeals to the passion or
prejudices of his hearers.
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+ample/
All of my friends have brandne( cellphones. ) must
have one as (ell.
veryoneveryone1ay(alks1ay(alkshere and ashere and as
long as ) look carefully nothing (illlong as ) look carefully nothing (illhappen.happen.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaywalkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaywalkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaywalk8/9/2019 My Fallacies
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)n a court of la( the1ury
vote by ma1ority! therefore
they (ill al(ays make the
correct decision.
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Argumentum ad 3erecundiam
$his fallacy is
committed (hen thedebater contends that(hat he alleges is valid
because a person (hocommands respect andreverence supports it.
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+amples/
Bruce illis supports !ave the
hales "nternational# so it must
$e a good cause.%
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0ou can believe themoon is covered (ith
dust because thepresident of the
2hilippines said so and
he should kno(.
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Argumentum ad 4aculum
$his fallacy is committed (hen the
debater ignores the real issue and
appeals to force rather than
reason.
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+amples/
#2ay back the loan and the 56 7 daily
interest by $hursday or be sure that
you have your hospital insurance paidup.#
$hose (ho (ill support this man$hose (ho (ill support this man(ill be charged of their life%"(ill be charged of their life%"
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0ou better agree that the ne(
company policy is the best betif you e+pect to keep your 1ob.
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Argumentum ad logicam
$his is arguing that because anargument has been sho(n to befallacious the conclusion reachedmust be false. Fallaciousarguments can arrive at true
conclusions they 1ust don't provethe conclusions reached.
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+ample/
#$ake the fraction 5898:. ,o(
canceling a si+ on top and a si+ on the
bottom (e get that 5898: ; 59:.#
##
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+ample/
#$his ne( test seemed so promising
but the ? studies that supported
its validity turned out to have
critical methodological fla(s so the
test is probably not valid.#
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4lack @
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#He is either a pro *-A or a#He is either a pro *-A or a
pro strada.pro strada.
Example:Example:
ove football or you are not a
man.
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Are (e going to vote for a tuition
fee increase or are (e going to
allo( our school to deteriorateinto a substandard custodial
institution>
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*enetic Fallacy
$his fallacy is committed by
paying too much attention to thegenesis or origin rather then thereasons offered for it.
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+ample/
He came from the province. He doesnot kno( -etro -anila.
#Bure the media claims that the#Bure the media claims that the
AF2 is corrupt. 4ut (e all kno(AF2 is corrupt. 4ut (e all kno(about the media's credibility don'tabout the media's credibility don't
(e.#(e.#
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Hasty *eneraliation
$his fallacy is committed if there isno enough instances to support
the conclusion.
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+ample/Bmith (ho is from ngland decides to
attend graduate school at &hio Btateniversity. He has never been to the Bbefore. $he day after he arrives he is(alking back from an orientationsession and sees t(o (hite Ealbinos=uirrels chasing each other around a
tree. )n his ne+t letter home he tells hisfamily that American s=uirrels are (hite.
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+ample/
Bam is riding her bike in her home to(nin -aine minding her o(n business.
A station (agon comes up behind her
and the driver starts beeping his hornand then tries to force her off theroad. As he goes by the driver yells
#get on the side(alk (here youbelong%# Bam sees that the car has&hio plates and concludes that all
&hio drivers are 1erks.
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Hey this car is cheap the
paint 1ob is good and it isaffordable. ) should buy it.
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False Analogy
)t refers to faulty comparison ofpremises on a given argument.
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+ample/
$he universe is like an intricate
(atch.
$herefore the universe must have$herefore the universe must have
been designed by some kind ofbeen designed by some kind of
creator.creator.
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False Dilemma
An argument that suggest only t(o
possible alternatives neither of
(hich are typically very appealing.)n fact many other alternatives may
e+ist.
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+ample/
#ook you are going to have to make
up your mind. ither you decide
that you can afford this stereo oryou decide you are going to do
(ithout music for a (hile.#
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+ample/
Benator ill/ #
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Dicto Bimpliciter En=ualified
*eneraliation$his is the fallacy of making a
s(eeping statement and
e+pecting it to be true on every
specific case G in other (ords
stereotyping.
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+ample/
#Beveral psychics have been found to beplaying tricks. rgo all psychics are
tricksters.#)t is a general truth that no one should lie.
$herefore no one should lie if amurderer at the point of a knife asksyou for information you kno( (ould leadto a further murder.
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,on G Be=uitor
Dra(ing a conclusion (hich does not
follo( the evidence.Example:Example:
-y shoe lace broke! ) guess its time-y shoe lace broke! ) guess its time
for me to buy a ne( car."for me to buy a ne( car."
) lost my 1ob last (eek so 4ush must) lost my 1ob last (eek so 4ush must
be a really poor president."be a really poor president."
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2ost Hoc
$his fallacy is committed (hen it is
concluded that one event
causes another simply because the
proposed cause occurred before
the proposed effect.
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+ample/
) had been doing pretty poorly thisseason. $hen my girlfriend gave
me this neon laces for my spikesand ) (on my ne+t three races.
$hose laces must be good luck...if
) keep on (earing them ) can't helpbut (in%
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+ample/
oan is scratched by a cat (hile
visiting her friend. $(o days
later she comes do(n (ith a
fever. oan concludes that the
cat's scratch must be the cause ofher illness.
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Argumentum ad udicium
$he debater ignores the real
=uestion and maintains that hiscontention is valid because
people in general believe it to be
so/ & general $elief cannot $ewrong.
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+ample/
A certain niversity (ith
seven thousand studentsused to advertise in this (ay/
!even thousand studentscannot $e wrong."
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Argumentum ad nvidiam
$he debater ignores the real
=uestion and inflames hisaudience (ith hatred and
rancor.
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+ample/
&n the proposition/
esolved $hat FilipinoGapanese trade relations
be immediately resumed."
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A negative speaker argued that
the Filipino people should not
establish any relation (hatever
social economic or political (ith
a race that is cruel and sadistic Ia race (hose bloodGthirsty people
and army tortured and massacred
innocent civilians.