1. Chapter 6 Reasoning Errors
This chapter will cover
Fallacies (errors in reasoning)
Fallacies that lead listeners away from the real issue
Useful approaches for handling fallacies

2. Reasoning Errors Fallacies - 2 kinds Inadequate Reasons
Fallacies that Mislead

3. Fallacies Inadequate Reasoning Sounds good Sounds logical
However, does not provide adequate support
Form but no substance

4. Inadequate Reasons Significant differences between compared items.
Faulty Analogies
Significant differences between compared items.
Compare a product to an experience
Compare current experience to past
Advice for them will work for you
The key to an accurate analogy is that the two things being compared are similar in all significant aspects.
Comparing springsoft with fresh air is not accurate in all of the elements.
Stop and Think:
Is the comparison valid? Is the situation, idea, or plan similar in all aspects?

5. Inadequate Reasons False Cause – Post Hoc
Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc: “After this, therefore because of this
First event causes second event without reason
Superstitious reasoning
Blame game
Falls into the category of superstitions: A rabbit’s foot will bring good luck.
The fallacy of false cause occurs when you assume that because events occur close together in time, they are necessarily related as cause and effect. For example, a baseball player who says, “So far this season, our team has won every time our players wore the white uniform. When they wore another color, they won. Therefore, to win the rest of the games, our players should not wear the white uniforms.” The problem is: there is no proof that wearing white caused the losses.
“After this, therefore because of this”

6. Inadequate Reasons
The Slippery Slope
Consequences of potential action predicted but not supported
The domino effect
Prediction based on speculation
If you ask for the day off then everyone else will.

7. Inadequate Reasons
The Straw Man
Opponent’s argument distorted or exaggerated and then easily attacked.
Position argument at extreme
Mentioning the opponent’s claims and exaggerating or distorting them. Then attacks the newly distorted more easily attacked argument.

8. Inadequate Reasons Hasty Conclusion Generalize with little information
Jumping to conclusions
Rushing to judgment
Self-fulfilling prophecy
Limited number of observations are made about A (A may represent a group or an individual).

9. Inadequate Reasons Presenting only two extreme alternatives
The False Dilemma
Presenting only two extreme alternatives
No possibilities in between
Leads to simplistic solutions
Our language encourages polarized thinking by providing few words to describe the in between.

10. Inadequate Reasons Speaker assumes what needs to be proven
Begging the Question
Speaker assumes what needs to be proven
Places the burden of proof on the listener
Builds on an unproven assumption
Uses a ‘loaded question’
Don’t be trapped into proving someone else’s conclusion.
Why are you always so defensive?

11. Skill
Recognize when reasons given to justify a conclusion are not sufficient.

12. Fallacies Reasons that lead the listener away from the primary issue.
Fallacies that mislead
Reasons that lead the listener away from the primary issue.

13. Fallacies That Mislead
The Red Herring
Distract your attention
Put on the defensive with another issue.
Get that stick out of here
It’s not a stick. It’s a laser beam
Gets its name from the old practice of drawing a herring-a smoked fish- across a trail to distract hunting dogs from following a scent. The hounds are led away from their prey.
Also used by criminals to distract their trail
Children use this a lot.

14. Fallacies That Mislead
Ad Hominem: Attacking the person
Attack personal qualities instead of the issue
Thomas Jefferson called “anti-American”
John Adams was accused of being a ‘fool’
Used to discredit someone

15. Fallacies That Mislead
Ad Populum:
Jumping on the bandwagon
If everyone is doing it, then it is okay
Keeping up with the Jones
The in-crowd
Why we buy products

16. Fallacies That Mislead
Appeal to Traditions
Conform to tradition
“We’ve always done it this way”
Reasons are not relevant to the claim
All the men in our family have been lawyers

17. Fallacies That Mislead
Appeal to Pity
Follow a course of action due to compassion
May be true but is irrelevant to the claim
You should go out with me or I will be upset

18. Fallacies That Mislead
Equivocation
The same word
- two different meanings

19. Chapter 6 Reasoning Errors
Checkup
Fallacies that mislead versus fallacies with insufficient support
What makes an analogy faulty?