Recognizing Fallacies English 28 Ms. Grooms

Fallacies Errors in argument Evade issue of argument Treat argument as if it were much simpler than it is

An ineffective argument dodges the issue. Recognizing Evasions An ineffective argument dodges the issue.

FALLACIES Begging the Question Treating an opinion that is open to question as if it were already proved/ disproved Ex: Political campaign financing is too corrupt to be reformed.

Evasions… Non sequitur: (“it does not follow”) the second idea does not follow from the first Ex: She uses a wheelchair, so she must be unhappy. Red Herring: an irrelevant issue intended to distract readers from relevant issues Ex: A campus speech code is essential to protect students, who already have enough problems with rising tuition.

Inappropriate Appeals: Appeals to readers’ fear or pity False authority: cite as an expert someone whose expertise is doubtful or nonexistent Ex: Jason Bing, a recognized expert in corporate finance, maintains that pharmaceutical companies do not test their products thoroughly enough. Inappropriate Appeals: Appeals to readers’ fear or pity Ex: Vote for our candidate so that your city can be safe again.

Evasions… Bandwagon approach: accepts an assertion because everyone does Ex: Blake Lively has an account at Big City Bank, and so should you. Argument Ad Populum: (“argument to the people”) asks readers to accept a conclusion based on shared values or even prejudices and nothing else Ex: Any truly patriotic American will support the President’s action.

Recognizing Oversimplifications Oversimplify: to conceal or ignore complexities in a vain attempt to create a neater more convincing argument than reality allows

Oversimplifications… Hasty Generalization (jumping to a conclusion) a claim based on too little evidence or on evidence that is unrepresentative Ex: It is disturbing that several of the youths who shot up schools were users of violent video games. Obviously, these games can breed violence, and they should be banned.

Sweeping Generalization Probably not supportable at all. Includes Absolute Statements- all, always, never, none Allows for no exceptions

Sweeping Generalizations People who live in cities are unfriendly. Californians are fad-crazy. Women are emotional. Men can’t express their feelings.

Reductive Fallacy Oversimplifies (or reduces) the relation between causes and their effects Ex: Poverty causes crime.

Oversimplifications… Post Hoc: the assumption that A preceded B , then A must have caused B Ex: The town council erred in permitting the adult bookstore to open, for shortly afterward, two women were assaulted. Ex: In the two months since he took office, Mayor Holcomb has allowed crime in the city to increase by 12%.

Oversimplifications… Either / Or : (false dilemma) assumes that a complicated question has only 2 answers: one good & one bad, both bad, or both good. Ex: City police officers are either brutal or corrupt. Ex: Either we permit mandatory drug testing in the workplace or productivity will continue to decline.

False Analogy assumes a complete likeness Analogy: a comparison between 2 essentially unlike things for the purpose of definition or illustration

False Analogy… To win the war on drugs, we must wage more of a military-style operation. Prisoners of war are locked up without the benefit of a trial by jury, and drug dealers should be, too. Soldiers shoot their enemy on sight, and officials who encounter big drug operators should be allowed to shoot them, too. Military traitors may be executed, and corrupt law enforcers could be, too.

Identifying & Revising Fallacies 1) The American government can sell nuclear technology to nonnuclear nations, so why can’t individuals, who after all have a God-given right to earn a living as they see fit?

What is the fallacy? 2) A successful marriage demands a maturity that no one under twenty-five possesses.

Name the fallacy. 3) Students’ persistent complaints about the grading system prove that it is unfair.

Is it a fallacy? 4) People watch television because they are too lazy to talk or read or because they want mindless escape from their lives.

Anything wrong with this logic? 5) Racial tension is bound to occur when people with different backgrounds are forced to live side by side.