Unit Four Seminar

Fallacies A.What is a fallacy? 1. A fallacy is a defect in an argument that consists in something other than false premises alone. 2. A fallacy might be some mistake in reasoning or an unreliable argument form. 3. A fallacy might be the creation of an illusion, which makes a bad argument appear good.

B. Why study fallacies? 1. Fallacies can be deceptive and manipulative. 2. Good reasoning, in many circumstances, will track the truth.

Informal fallacies  Informal fallacies involve the content of the argument.  Example: “A chess player is a person. Therefore, a bad chess player is a bad person.”

 These fallacies occur when we draw conclusions not warranted by the evidence.  This fallacies are ways of misleading and make it difficult to determine the actual probability of the conclusion one wants to prove.

 In this fallacy the conclusion drawn is too strong and is based on an atypical example or insufficient sample size.  Form: Specific unrepresentative case  overgeneralization

 Example: “That Republican senator from Florida took bribes and had an affair with a staff member. It is pretty obvious that the Republican party is corrupt!”

 Have you ever engaged in stereotyping?  Can you think of some common hasty generalizations that you or others frequently make?

 This fallacy is committed when one changes evidence or does not disclose evidence that negatively affects one’s case.  So, for example, one might offer an argument while fully aware that the argument has problems.

 Example: “My political party is best and has the most beneficial ideas for America. Therefore, I’m justified in running only news stories favorable to my party.” One sees this fallacy a lot when people are defending their favorite politicians.

 We commit this fallacy when we assert or assume that a claim is true just because it has not been proven false.  Example: “I do not have much information on this except the general statement of the agency that there is nothing in the files to disprove his Communist connections.” Joseph McCarthy

 What examples of arguments from ignorance do you think are most commonly used?

 Occurs whenever there is a correlation between two events and one is thought to cause the other, but no causal relationship actually obtains.  Form: A occurs, then B occurs One then infers that A caused B without sufficient evidence that there is such a causal relationship.

 Example: “Every night, about 15 minutes after I watch, The Tonight Show, I fall asleep. The Tonight Show must be putting me to sleep.”

 What examples from your own life demonstrate the post hoc fallacy?

 “All men are jerks! Just look at my husband.” A. Post Hoc B. Hasty Generalization C. Card Stacking D. Ad Hominem C. False Cause

 “He went to college and came back a pot-head; college corrupted him.” A. Appeal to Ignorance B. False Cause (Post Hoc) C. Hasty Generalization D. Overgeneralization Fallacy E. No Fallacy

 “On three separate occasions I’ve tried Smith’s Old Style Beer. Each time it tasted bitter. The next time I try it the beer will also taste bitter.” A. Appeal to Ignorance. B. Card Stacking C. Hasty generalization D. No fallacy

 “Toyota is the best car. It will drive for 200,000 miles, the color doesn’t fade, has a 10 year warranty, has a great service plan, etc.” A. False Cause B. Card Stacking C. Hasty Generalization D. No Fallacy

 “Smoking greatly increases your statistical risk of cancer and heart attacks. Therefore, stopping smoking increases your chances of living cancer free and having a healthy heart.” A. Hasty Generalization B. Card Stacking in Reverse C. Card Stacking D. Appeal to ignorance E. No Fallacy

 “Islamic fundamentalists stormed cites in India, killing and holding people hostage. The message is clear: All Muslims are religious fanatics prone to violence.” A. Card Stacking B. Hasty Generalization C. Ad Ignorantium D. Ad Nauseum E. No Fallacy

 “ The amount of television that children view daily has increased over the last 25 years. During this time standardized test scores for children have dropped. Obviously, television is making our kids intellectually lazy.” A. Hasty Generalization B. Appeal to ignorance C. False Cause D. Card Stacking E. No Fallacy

 Fallacies are used everywhere! And we can find fallacies even in arguments that we agree with and we may even discover that we use them ourselves.  Get in the habit of questioning all arguments and looking for fallacies.

 Next week we will be discussing 10 different informal logical fallacies.  I will armed with lots of “Name that Fallacy” questions!