• Anticipating, acknowledging and refuting the opposition.

• Hasty generalizations and other logical fallacies

• The last twenty minutes of seminar will be reserved for workshopping sample arguments and counterarguments

UNIT 8 SEMINAR:Burying the Hatchet

CM103: Effective Writing I for Criminal Justice Majors

Welcome to seminar!

We will begin at the top of the hour. Please feel free to chat with your

classmates in the interim.

Before we get into the content of the session….

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In any persuasive paper, we want to anticipate our readers’ concerns and acknowledge that they may have different opinions than ours. However, we still want to persuade them to

accept our viewpoint.

Anticipating, Acknowledging, and Refuting the Opposition

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We “refute” or address counterarguments with information from our sources:

• Facts• Examples from real life• Statistics• Results from scientific studies, case studies• Expert opinions

Refuting the OppositionTH

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• A logical fallacy is a statement or opinion that makes sense at first, but is not fully based on facts.• “Logical fallacy”: a lie or partial truth that has the appearance of facts or the complete truth. • Logical fallacies can be found in everyday situations as well as in professional and academic settings.

There are several kinds of logical fallacies. Let’s look at a few of the most common . . .

What is a “Logical Fallacy”?LO

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Hasty generalization occurs when we form a viewpoint that is based on a small amount of evidence. Examples:

1.Peace Officer Randall: “I worked in the women’s section of the Oak County Jail for six months and never had any problems. Women make good inmates and don’t make trouble.”2.Emily Jackson, parent: “I have a teenage daughter and four nephews in their teens, and none of them play computer games. That shows that computer games are not as popular as they used to be.”3.Brian’s neighbor: “Brian is going out on more dates lately. This obviously means he's finally making more money.”

Hasty Generalization: Also Called “Jumping to Conclusions”

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More Information! Rules for Writers Reading on Logical Fallacies, 47e:

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• The Slippery-Slope: “Lars has been out of work for three months. He’s going to be a worthless bum all his life.”• The Either-Or Fallacy: “Either get a burglar alarm installed in your house or be prepared to have your home broken into regularly.” • Circular Reasoning, also called “Begging the Question”: “Randy Yee is a more popular probation officer because more people like him.” (The so-called reasoning moves in a circle).• Ad Hominem, literally, “argument to a man”: name calling! “Captain LeFevre is a jerk!” or “Maria is a gossipy witch!”

Examples of Other Logical FallaciesLO

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• What are some typical ways people can disagree with your viewpoints on your topics?

• Think of discussions and informal debates

At work At family gatherings Within a TV talk show

setting

Workshopping Sample Arguments and Counterarguments: Let Us Help You!W

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Have a great Unit 8!