Logical Fallacies

I know you are, but what am I?Logical FallaciesWhy dont these arguments work?Television cant be harmful to children because it occupies their attention for hours and thus keeps them off the streets Marijuana cant be all that bad. Everyone knows about barroom brawls, but marijuana makes people peacefulShakespeare cannot have been a great writer, for he did not even make up his own plotsDoctors are all alike. They really dont know any more than you or I do. This is the third case of faulty diagnosis Ive heard of in the last monthWe ought to be guided by the decision of our ancestors, for old age is wiser than youth

Why dont these arguments work?The end of a thing is its perfection; death is the end of life; death is, therefore, the perfection of lifeYou can tell that Frank is a disreputable person by the character of his associates, because people who go around with somebody like Frank are the lowest type Comedian W.C. Fields said he knew a sure cure for insomnia a good rest Im surprised at you. A person of your culture and upbringing defending those hoodlums!

What is a logical fallacy?Usually incorrect argumentation in reasoning resulting in a misconception or presumption.Reasoning must be potentially deceptive, it must be likely to fool at least some of the people some of the time.In order for a fallacy to be worth identifying and naming, it must be a common type of logical error. A fallacy isnt a false conclusion but a weak one.Why Study Fallacies?Why study how to reason incorrectly; why not just study how to reason correctly? Even if you are right100% of the time, others may not be.Its like having a road map that shows how to get from point A to point B.

Common Fallacies: Ad hominemAgainst the man, against the personAttacks the persons character, habits, morals, or personalityExample: Teenagers dont know anything about true love. How could they; they are so young and inexperienced!

Common Fallacies: The AppealsAppeal to:Authority: I'm not a doctor, but I play one on Greys Anatomy. I choose Advil for all my headaches.Emotion: The new UltraSkinny diet will make you feel great. Enjoy the admiring stares of the opposite sex. You will know true happiness if you try our diet!Fear: I really need to get an A in this class. My father, the principal, would really appreciate that.Pity: I'm positive that my work will meet your requirements. I really need the job since my grandmother is sick.Tradition: Of course this mode of government is the best. We have had this government for over 200 years and no one has talked about changing it in all that time. So, it has got to be good.

Common Fallacies: Bandwagona threat of rejection by one's peers (or peer pressure) is substituted for evidence in an "argument.Idea X is popular. Therefore, X is correctExample: Most people believe Michael Jackson is the greatest entertainer of our time. Therefore, Michael Jackson is the greatest entertainer of our time.

Common Fallacies: Begging the questionthe premises include the claim that the conclusion is true or (directly or indirectly) assume that the conclusion is truesimilar to: circular argumentExample: "If such actions were not illegal, then they would not be prohibited by the law.Have you stopped cheating in school?Common Fallacies: Dicto Simpliciteracceptable exception is ignored or eliminateda general rule is treated as universally true regardless of the circumstancesExample: "Birds normally can fly. Tweety the Penguin is a bird. Therefore, Tweety can fly."Common Fallacies: Equivocationa word is incorrectly (on purpose) used to make an argumentdoublespeakExample: A feather is light. What is light cannot be dark. Therefore, a feather cannot be dark.

Common Fallacies: False Dilemmaonly two alternatives are considered, when in fact there are additional options; oversimplificationBlack and white thinkingExample: Either you're for me or against me. Common Fallacies: Hasty Generalizationconclusions made about a population based upon a sample which is too small to be representativeoften committed because of bias or prejudiceExample: Smith is from England. While on a trip to the US to visit Penn State, he sees two white squirrels. Back in England he tells his family that all American squirrels are white. Common Fallacies: Non sequitur

conclusion does not follow from its premisesdisconnection between the premise and the conclusionExample: Life is life and fun is fun, but it's all so quiet when the goldfish die.Common Fallacies: Poisoning the Wellinvolves trying to discredit what a person might later claim by presenting unfavorable information (be it true or false) about the personExample: Don't listen to him, he's a liar.Common Fallacies: Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hocafter this, therefore because of this Example: Every time I take a vitamin I get sick. Vitamins make me sick.Common Fallacies: Red Herringany argument in which the premises are logically unrelated to the conclusion commits this fallacy. an irrelevant topic is presented in order to divert attention from the original issueExample: I know I forgot to deposit the check into the bank yesterday. But, nothing I do pleases you.Common Fallacies: Slippery Slopeundesirable outcome is theguaranteedresult of a chain of actions. Therefore, the first step should never be taken.a person asserts that some event must inevitably follow from another without any argument for the inevitability of the event in question.Example: You can never give anyone a break. If you do, they'll walk all over you. Common Fallacies: Straw Mana person simply ignores a person's actual position and substitutes a distorted, exaggerated or misrepresented version of that positionExample: Senator Jones says that we should not fund the attack submarine program. I disagree entirely. I can't understand why he wants to leave us defenseless like that.Person A: Our society should be taxed less. Person B: It is unjust to promote a society that neglects the poor. Common Fallacies: Tu Quoqueyou tooFallacy committed when it is concluded that a person's claim is false because: it is inconsistent with something else a person has said, or what a person says is inconsistent with her actions.Example: Peter: Based on the arguments I have presented, it is evident that it is morally wrong to use animals for food or clothing. Bill: But you are wearing a leather jacket and you have a roast beef sandwich in your hand! How can you say that using animals for food and clothing is wrong! orI know you are but what am I?

Common Fallacies: Two Wrongs Make a Righta person "justifies" an action against a person by asserting that the person would do the same thing to him/herattempt to justify a wrong action by pointing to another wrong actionExample: After leaving a store, Jill notices that she has underpaid by $10. She decides not to return the money to the store because if she had overpaid, they would not have returned the money. Spot the fallacy!http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-june-28-2007/immigrant-disease

Shes a witch!HomeworkLook through newspaper articles (online or paper), print advertisements, or anything you find that is relevant, and find 5 logical fallacies. In 1 paragraph per fallacy, state: The sourceThe audienceThe message/how is it trying to persuade the audienceThe fallacyExplanation/examination of fallacyAttach the article to your paper and hand-in Tuesday, November 15th. Thank you!