Logical Fallacies Guided Notes What is a fallacy

Logical Fallacies Guided Notes

What is a fallacy? �Faulty Thinking or Faulty Logic

1. AD HOMINEM �Against the Person �Attacks the person instead of the issue at hand or the real argument. It also occurs when one tries to discredit a person’s argument merely because the person stands to benefit from the policy he or she supports. �May also be called: Argument of the Person OR Personal Attack

1. AD HOMINEM �http: //www. youtube. com/w atch? v=eb. T 1 Oo 6 y. DMI

2. APPEAL TO AUTHORITY �The argument comes from someone who is NOT recognized as an authority in a relevant field. �The argument of an “expert” who is clearly biased in favor of one side of the argument or who is an expert in a different field, even if it is similar or related must be questioned. �May also be called: TESTIMONIAL

2. APPEAL TO AUTHORITY �http: //www. youtube. com/w atch? v=SOAPMjs. HLDM

3. APPEAL TO EMOTIONS �Manipulates people’s emotions in order to get their attention away from an important issue or the argument being made. �Such appeals are fallacious because emotional responses are not always a good guide to truth; emotions can cloud rather than clarify the issues.

3. APPEAL TO EMOTIONS �http: //www. youtube. com/w atch? v=y. Dufy. Be. V 218

4. APPEAL TO IGNORANCE �This fallacy suggests that since no one has ever proved a particular claim, it must be false. Appeals to ignorance unfairly shift the burden of proof onto someone else. �May also be called: Argument from Ignorance

4. APPEAL TO IGNORANCE �http: //www. youtube. com/w atch? v=fbu 0 sh. Spsa. Y

5. BANDWAGON �The threat of rejection by one’s peers or peer pressure is substituted for evidence in an “argument. ” �This fallacy cites the growing popularity of an idea as a reason for accepting it as true. The reasoning is faulty because it ignores other reasons that an idea might be popular, such as peer pressure or mass misunderstanding. �May also be called: Ad Populum, Appeal to the Crowd, OR Appeal to the People

5. BANDWAGON �http: //www. youtube. com/w atch? v=o. SQFScu. Dh. GE

6. BROAD GENERALIZATION �Applying a general rule to a specific case. Assumes that what is true of the whole will also be true of the part, or that what is true in most instances will be true in all instances. One commits this fallacy by taking a general rule and applying it to a case in which the rule, due to the specifics of the case, does not apply. �May also be called: Sweeping Generalization

6. BROAD GENERALIZATION �http: //www. youtube. com/w atch? v=7 RJrm. Ef-t. Bc

7. CIRCULAR THINKING �Assuming as a premise (support for the argument) the conclusion you wish to reach. This fallacy involves assuming, in an argument, the very point one is trying to make. A circular argument fails because only those who already accept the conclusion will judge the reasoning of the argument to be true. �May also be called: Begging the Question

7. CIRCULAR THINKING �http: //www. youtube. com/w atch? v=OAVp 6 gn. Ig. HY

8. EITHER-OR THINKING �Limits the possible choices to avoid consideration of another choice. Presents a false dilemma by reducing a solution to ONLY two possible extremes – it is either this OR that. This is a fallacy because it ignores every other possible solution that falls between those extremes. � �May also be called: False Dilemma, Bifurcation

8. EITHER-OR THINKING �http: //www. youtube. com/w atch? v=u 5 xrr 4 Ryqa. E

9. FALSE CAUSATION �Wrongly assumes a cause and effect relationship. Oversimplification is a kind of false causation in which the series of actual causes for an event are reduced to the point where there is no longer a genuine, causal connection between the alleged causes and the actual effect. �Literally means after this, therefore because of this. �May also be called: Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc OR After this, therefore because of this

9. FALSE CAUSATION �http: //www. youtube. com/w atch? v=pjqud. Gt_Rdk

10. HALF-TRUTHS �A corrupt argument from logos, the fallacy of telling the truth but deliberately omitting important key details in order to falsify the larger picture and support a false conclusion. �A person selects ONLY the evidence that supports his or her side. �May also be known as: Suppressed Evidence, Card Stacking, Ignoring the Counterevidence, Stacking the Deck �Gamblers “stack the deck” in their favor by pre- arranging their cards to ensure their victories.

10. HALF-TRUTHS �http: //www. youtube. com/w atch? v=wgrnf_8 f 7 Yw

11. RED HERRING �This fallacy occurs when the listener is distracted by an irrelevant or secondary subject in order to divert attention away from the real issue. �NOTE: A red herring is typically a subject about which people have strong feelings, and so nobody notices how their attention is being misled.

11. RED HERRING �http: //www. youtube. com/w atch? v=Jm 7 SK 3 C_jp 0&ind ex=4&list=PLr 43 Kyk 6 PEsz yui. OZYuz. Al. Mkefs. Rs. A 0 ql

12. SLANTED LANGUAGE �Using words- connotative language– that carry strong positive or negative feelings can distract the audience, leading them away from the actual argument or claim.

BIG PICTURE �LOGICAL FALLACIES ARE

BIG PICTURE �DON’T EVER, EVER, EVER USE LOGICAL FALLACIES IN YOUR WRITING.