Bell Work: 10/14  describe the following fallacies in 1 sentence each 1. Fallacy #7 – Appeal to popular passions. 2. Fallacy #8 – Appeal to tradition or faith. 3. Fallacy #9 – Assume a posture of righteousness. 4. Fallacy #19 – Demonize his side, sanitize yours.

Objective and DOL Objective  I will be able to explain and create examples for 5 fallacies: DOL  Briefly explain and create a fallacy for each of the unit 4 fallacies

Attack the person  Dirty Trick #10  When a reasonable argument is made, the argument is ignored and the reasoner is directly attacked.  Name calling, mud slinging (accusing).  Traditionally called Argumentum ad Hominem or "poisoning the well." This trick subtly or overtly distorts a person's character, destroying their credibility no matter how valid their argument is. "I was surprised you agreed with her. She's kind of an extremist."

Attack the Person Examples  You don’t understand anything about life, you’re just a teenager.  How can you tell me anything about what is right or wrong, you cheated on mom!  You cannot tell me how to shoot a basketball, you never even played in college.

Attack the Person Examples Based on Circumstances  "She asserts that we need more military spending, but that is false, since she is only saying it because she is a Republican."  "I think that we should reject what Father Jones has to say about the ethical issues of abortion because he is a Catholic priest. After all, Father Jones is required to hold such views."  "Of course the Senator from Maine opposes a reduction in naval spending. After all, Bath Ironworks, which produces warships, is in Maine."  "Bill claims that tax breaks for corporations increases development. Of course, Bill is the CEO of a corporation."

Beg the Question  Dirty Trick #11  The use of words or phrases that prejudge an issue by the way the issue is put.  An attempt to prove a point by assuming it in the first place.  Traditionally called Petitio Principii. This trick leans on an argument that may not be true in the first place. "I don't attend those meetings because I don't want to be brainwashed.“  We know a god exists because we can see the perfect order of creation, an order which demonstrates supernatural intelligence in its design.

Create a False Dilemma  Dirty Trick #13  Create a False Dilemma (the great either/or)  Persuaded to believe there are only two, equally unsatisfactory choices, when in fact there are many possibilities available.  "Either you agree with me or you hate me." This assumes that only two options exist.

Talk in Vague Generalities  This fallacy occurs when a speaker uses such vague terms he/she cannot be attacked for anything specific that is said.  From Critical Thinking, “Forget what the spineless liberals say. It’s time to be tough; tough on criminals, tough on terrorists, and tough on those who belittle our country” (34).

Talk in Vague Generalities  Dirty Trick #38  Avoid the use of specifics that may cause actions to be questioned.  Avoid taking a particular side on any issue.  This means avoiding specifics that might commit the manipulator to something or cause people to question what he or she is doing.

Throw In Some Statistics  Dirty Trick #43 Throw In Some Statistics Impress the audience with numbers, quoting statistics that are favorable. EVEN IF THE SOURCE IS QUESTIONABLE.

Throw in some statistics.  This involves manipulating numbers or quoting statistics from questionable sources to gain the perception of validity. "A clinical study Raisin Bran cereal improved their attentiveness by nearly 20 percent!" What we're not told, however, is that this unpublished study was paid for by the company that makes the cereal, and that the attentiveness of the kids who ate the cereal was measured against that of kids given nothing but water.

DOL  Explain each of the following fallacies and create an example for each:  Fallacy #10 – Attack the person.  Fallacy #11 – Beg the questions.  Fallacy #13 – Create a false dilemma.  Fallacy #38 – Talk in vague generalities.  c Fallacy #43 – Throw in some statistics. 

DOL 1. “Every time you’ve offered an opinion you’ve been wrong.” –President Obama during debate Oct I can't believe you voted to restrict welfare. Either you didn't understand the proposition, or you just don't care about those less fortunate than yourself! 3. "Bill says that we should give tax breaks to companies. But he is untrustworthy, so it must be wrong to do that 4. Bill: "God must exist." Jill: "How do you know." Bill: "Because the Bible says so." Jill: "Why should I believe the Bible?" Bill: "Because the Bible was written by God." 5. Paul Ryan said Obama’s proposal to let tax rates rise for high-income individuals would “tax about 53 percent of small-business income. 6. Romney on his plans to build a strong Libyan government: “I’d recommit America to the goal of a democratic, prosperous Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security.” Presidential debate Oct Over the last 30 months, we've seen 5 million jobs in the private sector created," President Obama said. 8. "If such actions were not illegal, then they would not be prohibited by the law."