IDEA

1. IDEA

2. WALT – write IDEA paragraphs WILF – You will be able to give an accurate analysis of a fallacy of reasoning TIB – It is necessary to be able to clearly represent your reasoning process

3. IDEA PARAGRAPH IDEA is an easy way to remember all the elements that are required to fully explain a fallacy. I – identify D – define E – explain A – additional clarification • ANALYSIS • Detailed examination of the elements or structure of something, typically as a basis for discussion or interpretation. From the Gk. ‘to break up’.

4. FALLACY “Of course your columnist Michael Slatalla was joking when she wrote about needing to talk with her 58-year-old mother about going into a nursing home. While I admire Slatalla’s concern for her parents , and agree that as one approaches 60 it is wise to make some long-term plans, I hardly think that 58 in the right age at which to talk about a retirement home unless there are some serious health concerns…

5. FALLACY CONT. …In this era, when people are living to a healthy ripe old age, Slatalla is jumping the gun. My 85-year-old mother power-walks two miles each day, drives her car (safely), climbs stairs, does crosswords, reads the daily paper and could possibly beat Slatalla at almost anything.”

6. IDEA(L) RESPONSE This first argument contains the fallacy in reasoning of hasty generalisation. Hasty generalisation is where someone is attempting to attribute a characteristic to a population or group, yet is deriving that characteristic from a sample that is too small to be accurately scaled up. In this example, Nancy Edwards argues that 58year olds (and she’s generalising out to all of them) are too young to be considering for nursing homes. Whether this is the case or not is beside the fact that she seems to be basing her argument on only one piece of evidence – her sprightly 80 year old mother. A sample of one is too small to generalise from to a whole population (of thousands).

7. I - identify In this sentence you will need to find and label the fallacy you have found: IDENTIFY Recognize or distinguish something considered worthy of attention. From the Fr. Identité ‘regard as the same’. This first argument contains the fallacy in reasoning of hasty generalisation.

8. D - define DEFINE State or describe exactly the nature, scope, or meaning of. From the L. definire ‘to limit’ In this sentence you will need to describe the general nature of the fallacy: Hasty generalisation is where someone is attempting to attribute a characteristic to a population or group, yet is deriving that characteristic from a sample that is too small to be accurately scaled up.

9. E – explain (in context) In this sentence you will show how the fallacy works with the particulars of your example: EXPLAIN Account for (an action or event) by giving a reason as excuse or justification. From the L. explanare ‘to make clear’ In this example, Nancy Edwards argues that 58year olds (and she’s generalising out to all of them) are too young to be considering for nursing homes.

10. A – additional clarification CLARIFICATION an interpretation that removes obstacles to understanding. From the L. clarificare ‘to make clear’ In these sentences you will provide further analysis, clarifying why the example is fallacious: Whether this is the case or not is beside the fact that she seems to be basing her argument on only one piece of evidence – her sprightly 80 year old mother. A sample of one is too small to generalise from to a whole population (of thousands).

11. BAD IDEA? What is missing from this IDEA paragraph? Nancy Edwards is committing the fallacy of hasty generalisation, which occurs when one bases a generalisation on too small a sample. Here, she is saying that (all) normal 58yr olds are too young to be thinking about retirement, just because her mother is still fit at 80.

12. YOUR TASK You will make your own IDEA paragraph by: • Finding an example of your fallacy • Creating a powerpoint presentation with a slide per sentence of your IDEA paragraph • Presenting back to the class