Old 09-3-2009, 02:16 PM   #1
AC1speakerbox
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Default Logical Fallacies

Because nobody's perfect, and to better the game-- not a plea for decency.

Logical Fallacies


I. Ad hominem: A personal attack on an opponent that draws away from the issues under consideration.

Example: He is unfit to be governor because he drank too much when he was a college student. [Whether or not this candidate drank too much when he was young may reveal something about his character, but voters might decide that he now has political skills and principles that could benefit the state.]


II. Appeal to tradition: An argument that says something should be done a certain way simply because it has been done that way in the past.

Example: We should not allow women to join this club because we have never let women join before. [Times change; what was acceptable in the past in not necessarily acceptable in the present.]


III. Bandwagon: An argument saying, in effect, “Everyone’s doing or saying or thinking this, so you should too.”

Example: Everyone else is cheating, so why shouldn’t you? [The majority is not always right.]


IV. Begging the question: A statement that assumes what needs to be proved.

Example: We need to fire the thieves in the police department. [If there are thieves working in the police department, this point needs to be established.]


V. Equivocation: An assertion that falsely relies on the use of a term in two different senses.

Example: We know this is a natural law because it feels natural. [When first used, natural means principles derived from nature or reason; when used again, it means easy or simple because of being in accord with one’s own nature.]


VI. False analogy: The assumption that because two things are alike in some ways, they must be alike in other ways.

Example: Since the books are about the same length and cover the same material, one is probably as good as the other. [The length and coverage of the books cannot predict whether one is as good as the other.]


VII. False authority: The assumption that an expert in one field can be a credible expert in another.

Example: The defense budget must be cut, as the country’s leading pediatrician has shown. [Pediatric medicine is unrelated to economics or political science.]


VIII. False cause: The assumption that because one event follows another, the first is the cause of the second. Sometimes called post hoc, ergo propter hoc (“after this, so because of this”).

Example: The new tax assessor took office last January, and crime in the streets has already increased 25 percent. [The assumption is that having a new tax assessor caused the increase in crime, an assumption unlikely to be true.]


IX. False dilemma: Stating that only two alternatives exist when in fact there are more than two (sometimes called the either/or fallacy).

Example: We have only two choices: to build more nuclear power plants or to be completely dependent on foreign oil. [In fact, other possibilities exist.]


X. Guilt by association: An unfair attempt to make someone responsible for the beliefs or actions of others.

Example: Senator Barlow must be dishonest because she belongs to the same club as that judge who was recently disbarred. [People can belong to the same club—or live in the same neighborhood—without engaging in the same behavior.]


XI. Hasty generalization: A generalization based on too little evidence or on exceptional or biased evidence.

Example: Ellen is a poor student because she failed her first quiz. [Her performance may improve in the weeks ahead.]


XII. Non sequitur: A statement that does not follow logically from what has just been said—a conclusion that does not follow from the premises.

Example: Billy Joe is honest, therefore, he will get a good job. [Many honest people do not get good jobs.]


XIII. Oversimplification: A statement or argument that leaves out relevant considerations about an issue to imply that there is a single cause or solution for a complex problem.

Example: We can eliminate hunger by growing more food. [Increasing the amount of food produced does not guarantee that the hungry will have access to it.]


XIV. Red herring: Dodging the real issue by drawing attention to an irrelevant issue (sometimes called ignoring the question).

Example: Why worry about overcrowded schools when we ought to be trying to attract a professional hockey franchise? [Professional sports have nothing to do with overcrowded schoolrooms.]



XV. Slippery slope: The assumption that if one thing is allowed it will be only the first step in a downward spiral.

Example: Handgun control will lead to a police state. [Handgun control has not led to a police state in England.]


Taken from Hodges’ Harbrace Handbook, 13th ed.

Last edited by AC1speakerbox; 09-3-2009 at 05:54 PM..
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Old 09-3-2009, 05:50 PM   #2
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Default Re: Logical Fallacies

D=

I never saw that and I never imagined it would've already been posted.

Sorry.
edit: It was stickied too??? Damn, I suck for having never seen that.

Meh, I guess we could all still use a reminder, yes?
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Old 09-3-2009, 06:08 PM   #3
iluswirl
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Default Re: Logical Fallacies

You have to remember though, many, many people do not read outside of this little box of the forums, so things tend to have to be repeated.
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