Logical Fallacies

1. Logical Fallacies

2. Arguments • Claim: The position being argued • Reasons: Support for the claim • Warrants: The principle or chain of reasoning that connects the reason to the claim • We need to connect claims to reasons with logical warrants for arguments to be sound.

3. What are logical fallacies? • Mistakes in our reasoning • Claims, warrants, or pieces of evidence are invalid, insufficient, or disconnected • Seriously affect our ability to argue effectively • Sometimes we think that our faulty argument is sound • Sometimes we think a flawed argument will win us the battle • Sometimes these are difficult to spot because they are disguised by the skillful use of words or images.

4. Fallacies • Ad Hominem—Against the Man • Avoiding the issue by attacking a person’s character • Used to divert an audience’s attention from the issue at hand • A prosecutor asks the judge to not admit the testimony of a burglar because burglars are not trustworthy. • Begging the Question • Circular Reasoning • Drawing conclusions from assumptions that have not been proven • CLAIM: You can’t give me a C in this course… • REASON: …because I am an A student. • WARRANT: An A student is someone who can’t receive Cs.

5. Fallacies • Either/Or Fallacy • Contrasting your own choice only with one that is completely undesirable; Overlooking other options • All drugs should be either legalized or banned completely. (Ignores other positions like legalizing marijuana for cancer treatments but not for general use) • Equivocation • Using a word with two or more definitions, usually in order to confuse or deceive • Macbeth has nothing to worry about “till Birnamwood / Do come to Dunsinane” –how can a forest move? • Argument gives an honest appearance

6. Fallacies • Hasty/Faulty Generalization • Inference drawn from insufficient evidence • Because my Honda broke down, then all Hondas must be junk. • Sweeping Generalization • Claim that something applies to all situations without exceptions. • All cameras are easy to use. • All women are bad drivers. • All English teachers are nitpicky.

7. Fallacies • Post Hoc: Faulty Causality • Assumes that because one action follows another, the first causes the second • The abnormally warm weather led to the increased number in summer casualties • Faulty Analogy • Assuming that since two things are alike in one aspect, they must be alike in others • Employees are like nails. Just as nails must be hit in the head in order to make them work, so must employees.

8. Fallacies • Non-Sequitur • Literally means “it does not follow.” • A conclusion or statement that does not arise logically from the premises of a given argument • Because my sister is rich, she will make a good parent. • Red Herring • Introducing something irrelevant/tangential to change or shift the topic • Why should we worry about the amount of violence on television when thousands of people are killed in automobile accidents every year?

9. Fallacies • Straw Man • Strengthening your own view by distorting/oversimplifying the opposing view • Attacking an argument that isn’t really there. • "Senator Jones says that we should not fund the attack submarine program. I disagree entirely. I can't understand why he wants to leave us defenseless like that.“ • Bandwagon • Assumes that because something is popular, it is desirable, good, or correct • The President must be correct in his approach to foreign policy; after all, the polls show that 60 percent of the people support him.