...Logical Fallacies Fallacies are all around us. We see fallacies on the television, newspapers, and radio. People around the world experience logical fallacies on almost a daily basis. A fallacy is defined as “errors or flaws in reasoning” (Axelrod and Cooper 620).Fallacies used in advertisements are; band wagon, begging the question, confusing chronology with casualty, either-or reasoning, equivocating, failing to accept the burden of proof, false analogy, hasty generalization, overreliance on authority, oversimplifying, personal attack, red herring, slanting, slippery slope, sob story, straw man. I have gathered four advertisements that have fallacies. The fallacies are slippery slope, overreliance on authority, and hasty generalization. My first finding is an advertisement with the fallacy slippery slope. The advertiser tells people “Use this 3D White collection together and get a noticeably whiter smile in just two days”. Slippery slope is defined as pretending that one thing inevitable leads to another (Axelrod and Cooper 621). The advertisement has the celebrity Shakira smiling with beautiful white teeth. It has three Crest 3D White products a toothbrush, mouthwash, and toothpaste. Advertiser say’s “Reveal your inner rock star with a 3D White smile”. Also, it claims that “life opens up with a whiter smile”. This advertisement is pretending that life will be better if people use its products. It will also supposedly make your teeth glamorous white. The toothbrush...
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...for many reasons. For example, people feel alone...
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...James Jackson BCOM/275 Week 2 Assignment Logical Fallacies Analysis 1. Personal attack ad hominem. An ad hominem compares the qualities of the person making a claim to the qualities of the actual claim. It is when it is argued that a claim cannot be true because there is a certain lack of quality in the person providing the claim. With this fallacy, it is not the claim itself being analyzed, but the person making the claim. A “personal attack” ad hominem does exactly that – it attacks the person making a claim in order to set them in a negative light. The thought is that a claim cannot possibly be true if the person making the claim is a “bad person”. We see this in the media all of the time with politics. Often pundits in the media will claim that a politician in the opposing party does not have the “moral authority” to claim something because the politician may have been accused of doing something that the media outlet is reporting as morally wrong. A good example of this was early in Barack Obama’s presidency, and even when he was campaigning. During that time some media outlets would dispute a patriotic statement he may have made. They claimed that he could not be patriotic because there was no proof he was even an American citizen since no one had ever seen his birth certificate. This could also be considered a circumstantial ad hominem, as the media was saying that his claimed circumstances refuted his patriotism. 2. Scare tactics. Scare tactics involve...
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...many types of Logical Fallacies .American Intercontinental University PHIL 201- 1401B-02 Week 3 Individual Assignment Introduction: Logical Fallacy: A logical fallacy is an error in reasoning. In other words, it is a factual error or a failure to logically support the conclusion in an argument. An argument is a group of statements about a specific topic where a stand is taken applying premises needed to support their conclusion. A fallacy is a type of argument where the person uses bad arguments to support their conclusion but in order to be a fallacy it must be believed some of the time (Eemeren & Grootendorst, 1995). The different types of fallacies are mere assertion, circular reasoning, Ad hominem, red herring, pseudo-questions, false cause, sweeping generalizations, slippery slope, and equivocation or changing meanings. Mere Assertion: Arguments by mere assertion simply mean a person uses a strong statement instead of any real fact to argue a point. Just because an argument is stated emphatically does not mean that statement is in fact true. In mere assertion even if there are facts to the contrary or that contradict the argument it will continue o be supported. Arguments by mere assertion are also considered rhetoric. Rhetoric is supporting the argument despite the fact there is no evidence the argument is true. It is a form of persuasion or blind faith in the mere assertion. Circular Reasoning: Circular reasoning is a type of fallacy where the argument goes...
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...[Date] Identifying Logical Fallacies * Ad Hominem It is a Latin phrase which is described as an attack on the person rather than focusing on the argument. For example: You should not listen to Professor Miller’s arguments for faculty salary increase. The only reason he is arguing for a pay raise is because he himself will benefit from it (Van Vleet 15). In this example, it is clear that the speaker attacks Professor Miller personally rather than the actual argument for faculty salary increase, by blaming him that he is being selfish for increase in salary. In this sentence, cold-heart is ad hominem associated with scientists. * Slippery Slope Adverse consequences because of a change in policies, processes, actions or law, is usually known as slipper slope. For example: We have to stop the tuition increase! The next thing you know, they will be charging $ 40,000 a semester (Nizkor). In this example, as a consequence of agreement with increase in tuition fee presently, it is eminent that further increase would also occur in future. * Begging the Question Things that you can not prove but still you think of them as true. For example: The belief in God is universal. After all, everyone believes in God (Nizkor). In this sentence, the speaker first answers the question that is followed after the answer. * Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc This fallacy assumes that a second event is the resultant of the first event always. For example: The only policy that...
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...Performance: Understand the arguments and beliefs of others. Evaluate those arguments and beliefs critically. Develop and defend one's own well supported arguments and beliefs. Workplace: Help us to reflect and get a deeper understanding of our own and others decisions. Encourage open mindedness to change. Aid us in being more analytical in solving problems. Daily life: Helps us to avoid making foolish personal decisions. Aids in development of autonomous tinkers capable of examining their assumptions and prejudices. Fallacy : A fallacy is an argument which appears to be valid but in reality it is not so. It is invalid argument which is camouflaged and can deceive or mislead by a show of truth. A fallacy may be committed unintentionally or intentionally. When the fallacy is committed unintentionally is called paralogism. Costs of fallacious reasoning : A fallacious reasoning is nothing but a false reasoning or a reasoning that does not make sense. The costs of fallacies can be derived as...
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...Are Logical Fallacies? Unknown AIU Online What Are Logical Fallacies? There are two different kinds of reasoning in philosophy. One uses the logical synthesis of two or more true statements, it is called deductive reasoning. The other generalizes by observing a number of specific examples, it is called inductive reasoning. (Carroll, 2000) Both deductive and inductive reasoning requires us to use sound logic to reach valid conclusions. Without the use of this logic errors can occur, which in philosophy are called logical fallacies. Mere Assertion The first logical fallacy I am going to define is mere assertion. This is an argument of opinion. There is no guarantee that what you say will be expected. But all opinions whether they are believed to be true or not must be supported by evidence. Here is an example of a mere assertion fallacy. My cats love me because they sleep on my bed. Also when I open their cat food they come running, so they must love me. Both of these statements are not supported by evidence. They are just statements of opinion that I believe to be truth. Circular Reasoning The second logical fallacy I am going to define is circular reasoning. This is an argument where your conclusion and premise are the same. It is an argument that asks you to simply accept the conclusion without real evidence. Also it can be an argument that simply ignores an important assumption. So to avoid this fallacy you cannot...
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...Critical Thinking Critical thinking is that mode of thinking - about any subject, content, or problem - in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully taking charge of the structures inherent in thinking and imposing intellectual standards upon them. A well cultivated critical thinker: * Will frame different questions and predicts the problems in the long run process, formulating them clearly and precisely; * collects and analyze relevant information, using abstract thoughts to illuminate it effectively comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant situations, basic scenarios and standards; * thinks open-mindedly and thinks about the other systems, recognizing and assessing, as need be, their assumptions, suggestions, and practical results; and * Interacts and communicates effectively with team members in work, fellow students in school or college or within the family etc. in figuring out solutions to complex problems. Benefits of Critical Thinking At Work: Critical thinking makes employees and managers to look at a situation and analyze all possible solutions before taking a final decision. It can be a long process that requires ideas from different experienced people within the business organization. The benefits to critical thinking make it a valuable practice for any small business. * Produces New Ideas * Promote the development of Teamwork * Promotes Options * Uncovering...
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...nothing solid to prove it to be correct. It is basically ones opinion. Example: Brenden did not steal the IPod because he is not a thief. Circular Reasoning – (begging the question) A question that is never really answered or proved. Example: Perry Marshall claims, “DNA is not merely a molecule with a pattern; it is a code… and an information storage mechanism. All codes are created by a conscious mind; there is no natural process known to science that creates coded information. Therefore, DNA is designed by a mind.” (Perry, 2014) Ad Hominem – The attack on a person’s character distracting you from the real issue. Example: Don’t believe what Larry says about raising children. He is the head of pro-abortion campaign. Red Herring – During a disagreement, one person goes on a tangent, bring up a different side of the disagreement that distracts everyone from what is really going on, usually not going back to the original disagreement. Example: A person is reading a book and is lead to believe a specific character is guilty, when in fact the person is innocent. Pseudo-questions – A question that has no real answer because it makes no sense. Example: “Do you support the right to possess a hand gun as set forth by our constitution?” (Gracyk, 2012) False Cause – It is assumed that there is a relationship between two things where one thing cause where one thing causes the other to happen. Example: Because the Native Americans did a rain dance, it began to rain. (Hagin...
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...statement said to be true and believed but has no factual evidence or validation to back it up. Example: He would never cheat on his wife because they are happy and he loves her very much. Circular Reasoning: A circular reasoning is when the argument is the same as the resolution. Example: Mother- “This is what is best for you and I know what is best for you.” Ad Hominem: The term Ad Hominem is the Latin translation for “against the person”. It means when a claim during an argument, that is a personal attack or allegation and is not logical and is irrelevant. Example: “President Obama held a press conference to talk about the serious issue of ISIS but he obviously did not take it that serious because he wore a tan suit and not a grey or black one.” Red Herring: The term refers to fox hunting, when a smoked herring is dragged on the route of hunting to distracted the hounds’ scent. The argument is a sidetrack comment used to deflect from the actual issue at hand. Example: “I know I shouldn’t have spent this much money on a dress, but does it not accentuate my figure nicely?” Pseudo Question: A pseudo question is an open-ended question that has no answer. Example: If god loves all of us, why does he make some people struggle more than others? False-Cause: A false-cause is coming to the conclusion that something occurred by an inaccurate observation. Example: The Atlanta Falcons were a horrible team until I moved here in 2012 and they almost made it...
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...believe it is very dangerous. The way I see it, nothing good can come out of a marijuana user. At first, sure, a person wont be as dependent on it but once the user is heavily into the drug, he or she will need it to even function properly. Not to say that it is addicting, but your body will need it to even feel “normal”. Marijuana does something to your body and brain that is not safe while you are out in public. For example, if you are high on marijuana and driving a car, chances are you will crash the car because you aren’t 100% in the right state of mind to drive, this can potentially lead to hurting yourself or even worse, yourself and an innocent bystander. Marijuana can’t kill a person, but it’s repercussions can certainly lead up to a person’s death. One can go into cardiac arrest, have an accident, or lung cancer is a big possibility too because marijuana has tar and that affects your lungs in a negative way. Again, I believe marijuana should be classified as a Schedule I drug because it meets all the criteria to be considered a Schedule I drug. One of the fallacies I will be using is “false dilemma”. False dilemma occurs when you give the opposition only two choices of what they can do, when in fact, there other alternatives available. If marijuana isn’t considered a Schedule I drug, I believe many more people will be using and in public places. We need to think of what kind of environment this will make for our friends and family. Someone that is under the influence of drugs...
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...Logical Fallacies American InterContinental University - Online PHIL201-1204A-02 October 20, 2012 Earl Barnett Logical Fallacies Fallacies are statements that might sound reasonable or sketchily true but are actually weak or dishonest. I will discuss and give me interpretation of some common logical fallacies. Mere Assertion & Circular Reasoning Mere Assertion is an argument that lacks factual support. It’s merely an opinion that is formed more so by belief then logical evidence. For example, “Robert is a vampire; I can feel his cold blood when I touch him.” This argument has no real logic behind it, only reasoning that makes sense to the person stating it. Circular Reasoning is an argument that aids support to a statement by repeating itself in a bolder definition. For example, I am human because my mother is human and my mother is human because I am human. Using the method of circular reasoning states that because I was conceived by my mother I am human as well. Both statements in my argument prove each other to be true, which makes my conclusion and premises the same. Ad Hominem & Red Herring Ad Hominem is an argument used to negatively portray ones character. This method of argument redirects ones attention from a certain topic by providing unrelated accusations about the person in support of the topic. For instance, in a court dispute over which parent should be granted full custody of their child, the defending lawyer states that the father...
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...org/multicultural/speeches/malcolm_x_ballot.html. The first logical fallacy found in this speech is one that appeals to emotion. To be specific, this quote appeals to the fear of the audience who listened to it. In paragraph 3, Malcolm X stated, “Whether you're educated or illiterate, whether you live on the boulevard or in the alley, you're going to catch hell just like I am. We're all in the same boat and we all are going to catch the same hell from the same man. He just happens to be a white man.” This is an example of the appeal to fear fallacy because of the fact that Malcolm X stated that no matter who you were, you were going to be affected negatively by the same person. In this case, he was using the fallacy as a way to worry the crowd about the upcoming elections in that year. Because of this, he is increasing the prejudice, or...
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...Logical Fallacies Nicole Smith American Intercontinental University Online Abstract Logical fallacies are mistakes in philosophical reasoning. One must be able to determine when a fallacy is being used as an argument so they are prepared to argument against such fallacy. Logical Fallacies There are several logical fallacies to watch for when making a philosophical argument. A mere assertion is someone asserting a lie to make it seem as a truth. It usually lacks any facts that would support it being true. This type of fallacy does not have any logic behind it. As an example, if I said that my boss is stupid. I have no facts that supports that she is stupid and in fact since she is in a management position at the company she is more than likely not stupid. Circular reasoning is an argument that starts with what the person making the argument is try to end up with. For example, my daughter is my child because I am her mother and therefore she is my child. This argument is stating the argument at the beginning and at the end, which makes it a circular reasoning and also a logical argument. Ad hominem is making an argument specifically against an opponent, which makes the argument personal and attacking the person’s character instead of their argument. Also referred to as, an appeal to motive (Bennett, 2012). An example of this would be if two presidential candidates were having a debate and one of the candidates brought up that the other candidate may have used drugs...
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...provide evidence for its conclusion; whether or not you’ll be excommunicated for disbelieving the geocentric model has no bearing on whether the geocentric model is true. The argument therefore commits the appeal to force fallacy. Example: Ad Hominem (1) William Dembski argues that modern biology supports the idea that there is an intelligent designer who created life. (2) Dembski would say that because he’s religious. Therefore: (3) Modern biology doesn’t support intelligent design. This argument rejects the view that intelligent design is supported by modern science based on a remark about the person advancing the view, not by engaging with modern biology. It ignores the argument, focusing only on the arguer; it is therefore a fallacious argument ad hominem. Red Herring “You may think that he cheated on the test, but look at the poor little thing! How would he feel if you made him sit it again?” An appeal to pity, for example, can be used to distract from the issue at hand. Example: Bandwagon (1) Increasingly, people are coming to believe that Eastern religions help us to get in touch with our true inner being. Therefore: (2) Eastern religions help us to get in touch with our true inner being. This argument commits the bandwagon fallacy because it appeals to the mere fact that an idea is fashionable as evidence that the idea is true. Mere trends in thought are not reliable guides to truth, though; the fact that Eastern religions are becoming more fashionable...
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