Logical Fallacies Errors in Logical Thinking Fallacies false

Logical Fallacies Errors in Logical Thinking

Fallacies = false § When trying to persuade others, people will sometimes say anything to try and win the argument. We have already discussed types of emotional appeals; these are logical appeals and are even trickier to identify. Even though they sometimes seem like logical reasoning, they are not.

Let’s imagine the school board has announced plans to cut all after school sports.

Attacking the person: § unrelated and/or unsupported by facts. § Example: Mr. Mc. Murry, who proposed these cuts, hates sports, and is a pennypinching meanie.

Circular reasoning: § Argument leads directly back to where it started. § Example: After school sports are essential because they’re a necessary part of school activities.

False cause and effect: § Just because one event occurred before another, one may not assume that the first event caused the second. § Example: When after school sports were dropped at Adams High School, the dropout rate increased immediately.

Hasty, Broad or Overgeneralizations § Making a conclusion without enough factual information to support it. Especially problematic: “One, two, or a few” examples are suddenly true for “most, many, or all. ” These are often the basis for stereotypes. § Everyone in school agrees that dropping after school sports is a dumb idea. I know because I asked my friend Chad, and he agrees with me.

False Analogy § An unfair or inaccurate comparison of one thing to another. § Example: Cutting sports would be like a house of cards. The whole school would collapse.

Appeal to ignorance: § If no one can prove it to be true, then it must be false. § Example: No one has said how much money cutting after school sports will save, so it can’t be saving much money at all.

Either or Thinking § Offers two extremes but no possible middle ground or compromise. § Example: Either we keep all sports or cut all sports. § Also bumper stickers like : “Put up or shut up” “America: Love it or leave it. ”

Half truths: § Leaves out the rest of the story. § Example: Why should after school sports be cut? The band doesn’t charge for their concerts and they aren’t getting cut. [Not mentioned is the fact that the band does fund raising every year to pay for their costs].

Oversimplification § Saying it is a simple question of_____ when it is not a simple question. § School athletics are only about physical activity. Students can get that in gym class.