...Name] [Instructor Name] [Course Name] [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...
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...the 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...
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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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...Master List of Logical Fallacies Fallacies are fake or deceptive arguments, arguments that prove nothing. Fallacies often seem superficially sound, and far too often have immense persuasive power, even after being clearly exposed as false. Fallacies are not always deliberate, but a good scholar’s purpose is always to identify and unmask fallacies in arguments. Ad Hominem Argument: Also, "personal attack," "poisoning the well." The fallacy of attempting to refute an argument by attacking the opposition’s personal character or reputation, using a corrupted negative argument from ethos. E.g., "He's so evil that you can't believe anything he says." See also Guilt by Association. Also applies to cases where potential opposing arguments are brushed aside without comment or consideration, as simply not worth arguing about. Appeal to Closure. The contemporary fallacy that an argument, standpoint, action or conclusion must be accepted, no matter how questionable, or else the point will remain unsettled and those affected will be denied "closure." This refuses to recognize the truth that some points will indeed remain unsettled, perhaps forever. (E.g., "Society would be protected, crime would be deterred and justice served if we sentence you to life without parole, but we need to execute you in order to provide some sense of closure.") (See also "Argument from Ignorance," "Argument from Consequences.") Appeal to Heaven: (also Deus Vult, Gott...
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...Click a fallacy on the left and drag it over to the correct example on the right. Repeat until all fallacies are correctly matched with their corresponding examples. Congratulations! You have completed this activity. Apple Polishing Of course, Cory, a generous, kind and giving brother, would let us play with his racetrack. Ad Hominem Todd agrees with the referee's call and says the referee made a good decision when he called the pass incomplete; however, this cannot be considered true because Todd is the head coach for the opposing team. Two Wrongs Make a Right On the way to his car, George noticed he was not charged for his second gallon of milk. He decides not to return to the store because if he had overpaid on the item, the store would not have returned his money. Slippery Slope If I do not pass Critical Thinking, I will not be able to move to the next course. If I do not move to the next course, I probably will not be able to continue in school, and if I do not continue in school, I will not earn my degree. Straw Man We might as well forget what Bishop Simon has to say about abortion and ethics. After all, he is a Catholic bishop so it is natural he would have those views. Begging the Question Critical Thinking must be a difficult class because Andrea said so. Red Herring I know you didn't get all your homework done because the Internet is out. But, if you had done the work days ago, you wouldn't be worried now. Appeal to Popularity I read the other day that...
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...Logical Fallacies Fallacies are common errors in reasoning that will undermine the logic of your argument. Fallacies can be either illegitimate arguments or irrelevant points, and are often identified because they lack evidence that supports their claim. Avoid these common fallacies in your own arguments and watch for them in the arguments of others. • o Slippery Slope: This is a conclusion based on the premise that if A happens, then eventually through a series of small steps, through B, C,..., X, Y, Z will happen, too, basically equating A and Z. So, if we don't want Z to occur, A must not be allowed to occur either. Example:If we ban Hummers because they are bad for the environment eventually the government will ban all cars, so we should not ban Hummers. In this example, the author is equating banning Hummers with banning all cars, which is not the same thing. o Hasty Generalization: This is a conclusion based on insufficient or biased evidence. In other words, you are rushing to a conclusion before you have all the relevant facts. Example: Even though it's only the first day, I can tell this is going to be a boring course. In this example, the author is basing his evaluation of the entire course on only the first day, which is notoriously boring and full of housekeeping tasks for most courses. To make a fair and reasonable evaluation the author must attend not one but several classes, and possibly even examine the textbook, talk to the professor, or talk...
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...well, never mind that. When are you going to pay me for that bet? Moe : When it rains cats and dogs. [rhetorical analogy] Mack : You mean when you actually take a shower? [rhetorical analogy] You know I won that bet fair and square. A bet is a bet, now give me my $20. Moe : You , I and everyone else who watched the fight knows he was drunk when he got in the ring. Or were you drunk when you watched it? [rhetorical question] Mack : Moe, pay me already. Why you making such a huge problem? It’s only $20. [rhetorical question] Moe : I don’t know about you, but $20 is a lot nowadays, especially how the economy’s going. [circumstantial ad hominem] Mack : Good god, man! [hyperbole] How much is too much for you? [line-drawing fallacy] Jest yesterday you were bragging how the boss gave you a bonus [inconsistency ad hominem]. Moe : I never said such thing! Mack : Yes, you did. Moe : What proof do you have? [misplacing burden of proof] Mack : My memory is like the memory of an elephant. [hyperbole] Moe : Then why couldn’t you remember your wife’s birthday? Mack : That was one time! [question begging] Moe : Yeah well, if I pay you back, Jack would come to me and ask for his money and then Joe will come asking for his money and then that kid I borrowed that quarter from will track me down and ask for his quarter back. [slippery slope] Next thing you know, I’m living in a newspaper fort! [hyperbole] Mack : When will you pay me back then? Moe : Ask me when I get a...
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...EN1420: Module 3 Identifying, Organizing, and Analyzing Your Sources Exercise 3.1: Identify the Logical Fallacies Each statement below contains a logical fallacy. Identify the fallacy and briefly explain, in one or two sentences, why it is an error in reasoning. 1. Mabel is not qualified to lead the school board because she used to drink liquor in her 20s. • Ad hominem: committed by attacking the person who's making an argument, rather than the argument itself. One of the most common fallacies, it is a direct attack on a person's character rather than focusing on his or her arguments. Stating that Mabel used to drink that why she is not qualified it a person attack. 2. A child can be either an athlete or a good student. • Either/Or: An oversimplification that assumingly reduces several alternatives to a mere binary opposition, basically means you only have two choices. You only have two choices of being a athlete or a good student. You can choose to be bad student if you wanted. 3. Any change in health care will lead to socialism; we don’t want to live in a socialist country, so we can’t reform health care. • Slippery Slope (Bad Precedent): assuming that a proposed step will set off an uncontrollable chain of undesirable events. Changing health will lead to socialism is an extreme statement. 4. All teenagers text while they drive; therefore, we should raise the driving age to 21. • Hasty Generalization: drawing conclusions from too little of evidence and often relying...
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...Anna Kathrina B.Viesca BS Biology 2-2 Philo 101 November 09, 2015 Fallacies 1. False Cause Christian got a failing grade and didn`t graduate on time because he took a picture beside the oblation statue in their university. 2. Argument Against the Person I absolutely don`t listen to Reggie’s arguments on education, he`s an idiot. 3. Appeal to Tradition Dave: For 11 years, the men in our family manage our funeral service and became an embalmer. Therefore, it is my duty to become an embalmer. Claudine: Do you want to be an embalmer? Dave: It doesn`t matter. It is our family tradition. Who am I to break it? 4. Black or White Cheska got the highest score in Physics. She either study hard or cheat during the examination. 5. Complex Question Are you still a chain smoker? 6. Appeal to Pity I`m positive that my work will meet your requirements. I really need the job since my mother needs to undergo a surgical operation in the heart. 7. False Dichotomy Your grades show you just aren`t trying. Either study more or drop out of school! 8. Appeal to Novelty The android operating system just released “Marshmallow”. It is better than anything else because it`s the latest android version. 9. Apple Polishing Saleslady: You should definitely buy this car. You look so good in it. You look at least 5 years younger behind that wheel. Customer: I`ll take it. 10. Poisoning the Well Mayor Lustre is a very good talker. Yes talk, he can do very well. But when it comes time...
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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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...The two examples I have choosen are from President Trump’s inauguration speech. Within the speech President Trump uses a number of these logical fallacies to persuade his audience. 1. “Washington flourished - but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered - but the jobs left, and the factories closed.” President Trump makes a hasty generalization here as he draws conclusions based on no evidence. He makes these claims without providing any evidence when he says, “but the people did not share in its wealth” and “but the jobs left, and the factories closed”. He jumps to these conclusions without providing any evidence of how the wealth wasn’t shared or how the factories were closed. He uses this technique effectively as he...
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...sentence there is a fallacy of attacking the motive is caused by the senator in a sentence. Second answer is Look Who's Talking (Tu Quoque) because in this sentence speaker he is unknown about the benefits of exercise. On my third answer I choose the correct answer again here the answer is bandwagon argument because here the fallacy is committed by threat of rejection by one's peers is substituted for evidence in an argument. On my fourth question correct answer is Straw Man here the fallacy is made upon the misinterpretation of Mr. Equalminded's idea’s or position. My fifth answer was also correct where there was a fallacy of appeal to force. Where coercion was made by the speaker. On my sixth answer the correct answer was begging the question where the premise is directly giving the conclusion. My seventh answer was wrong where the correct answer was Equivocation. And since I know the correct answer now I can say that Equivocation is the fallacy committed by using words that have two meanings. On my eighth answer I chose the correct one again which is two wrongs make it right were the fallacy is committed by connecting two wrongs ideology sentences to provide a conclusion. My ninth answer was again correct where I chose Personal Attack (Ad Hominem) because it was committing a fallacy. On my tenth answer I was wrong again where I chose band wagon but the correct answer was red herring. Now I know it is a red herring because the sentence is causing the fallacy that misleads...
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...Identifying Fallacies CRT 205 Identifying Fallacies 2. This is an example of an ad hominem fallacy, the author attacks Andrea Keene, and therefore the claim is false. This could also be an example of Straw Man fallacy, while the effects of fertility drugs are not exaggerated, suggesting that one or more of the infants dies “agonizingly” every time is exaggerated. 3. Straw Man fallacy, this is where the author distorts and exaggerates the position. When she said that it is far better to be a widow than a divorcee because all divorcees are “rejects” who have been “publicly dumped” and are avoided “like they have leprosy” she is distorting the truth and exaggerating. 5. This is also a Straw Man fallacy, the author is exaggerating by saying “Then anytime anyone wanted a picnic, he would have to park at the edge of the park and carry everything in—ice chests, chairs, maybe even grandma.” This is also an example of a false dilemma, the author is limiting the outcome to two alternatives when other alternatives may be available. 6. The author stated that “The protestors would of course deny…” This is an example of circumstantial ad hominem fallacy because the author suggests that the Christian groups “would of course” deny any anti-Semitic motivation because they are Christians. The author continues and suggests that there would be no debate if there were a modern Christian scene depicted. 8. The fallacy is “For without these sources those demands will not be met, and it...
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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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..."Oh, shut up!" says Claudia, blushing."1 may read the astrology column, but I certainly don't believe it. I just read it for fun. But, the fact is, during the past twenty-five years there have been thousands of alleged sightings of UFOs, and not a single one has led to any solid evidence of their existence. What do you make of that?" "I think we should look at this situation the other way around," Ralph says."Up until now, nobody has shown that UFOs don't exist, so I think we should give those people who claim they have seen them the benefit of the doubt. We should believe in UFOs and extraterrestrials until the sightings are proven false." "Well, okay. Let's suppose,just for the sake of argument, that I admit the existence of UFOs and t~eir little green drivers. How are we supposed to respond to them? What are we supposed to do?"C1audia asks. "For starters, we should extend an open invitation to them," answers Ralph."They may come from a dying planet where millions of their compatriots desperately strug gle for survival.Their sun may be burning out, their water supply exhausted, and their soil poisoned with toxic chemicals. Surely they deserve a second chance on a new planet." "Maybe so," Claudia says in a patronizing tone."And now that you mention it, we probably have a legal obligation to let them in. Our current immigration laws say that we have to admit at least ten thousand applicants annually, from every major nation. If those aliens would just sign the right papers, we'd...
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