Fallacious Reasoning a.k.a. Fallacy

What’s a Logical Fallacy?

What is a Fallacy? According to Webster’s Dictionary, a fallacy is an error in reasoning or a flawed argument. It’s an argument that does not conform to the rules of logic, but appears to be sound.

Prevalence of Fallacies in Advertising… Fallacies are all around you… Advertisements in Magazines, T.V., billboards, video games, phones! And they all contain fallacies! Can you think of a place where there are NO advertisements? Probably not! That’s because advertising is impossible to escape and ad-free zones rarely exist.

QUICK WRITE!! Impact of Fallacies What might be the impact of being told that we are not pretty, handsome, rich, clean, or good enough? What does the casual acceptance of surrounding ourselves with fallacies say about us? QUICK WRITE!!

Types of Fallacies Hasty Generalization (also called overgeneralization) Faulty use of authority (ad verecundiam) Argument Ad Populum (“to the people”) Non Sequitor (“It doesn’t follow”) Either/or Appeal to tradition Hypostatization Begging the Question Bandwagon Appeal Red Herring Straw Man Argument Ad Hominem (“to the man”) Faulty Analogy Card Stacking: Oversimplification  Slippery Slope

Jumping to conclusions about a population based on a small sample. Hasty Generalization Jumping to conclusions about a population based on a small sample. Bases argument on insufficient data

Non Sequitor “it does not follow” The writer’s conclusion is not necessarily a logical result of the facts.

Non Sequitor

Appeal to Tradition Appeal to Tradition is a fallacy that occurs when it is assumed that something is better or correct simply because it is older, traditional, or "always has been done." This sort of "reasoning" has the following form: X is old or traditional Therefore X is correct or better.

Begging the Question The writer presents as truth what is not yet proven by the argument Before an argument on a topic can be made, the reader must be convinced that there is a problem.

Begging the Question

Red Herring Presenting an irrelevant topic to divert attention away from the original issue (A red herring is a fish that smells really bad that people would use to distract bloodhounds)

Example: Red Herring

Attacks the person and the person’s character, not the issue Argument Ad Hominem “to the man” Attacks the person and the person’s character, not the issue

Example:Ad Hominem

Ad Verecundiam “False Authority” The writer relies on “authorities” who are not convincing sources.

Ad Verecundiam

Either/or “False Dilemma” The writer tries to convince the reader that there are only two sides to an issue. Most reasonable people understand that there is often a middle ground, especially when dealing with complex issues.

Hypostatization The writer uses an abstract concept as if it were a concrete reality i.e.- science has proven, research shows, history has taught…

Hypostatization

Bandwagon Appeal Creates an impression that everybody is doing it, and so should you In other words, if you suggest that someone’s claim is correct simply because it’s what most everyone is coming to believe, then you’re committing the bandwagon fallacy.

Example: Bandwagon

Straw Man The writer selects the opposition's weakest or most insignificant point to argue against.

Straw Man

The writer uses an extended comparison as proof of a point. Faulty Analogy The writer uses an extended comparison as proof of a point.

Trying to prepare a couple to be married without allowing them to live together first is like trying to teach kids how to swim without letting them get in the pool colorful and memorable, but is the emotional and intellectual skill set required for marriage fundamentally similar to the physical skill set required for swimming?

Card Stacking The writer selects on data that supports his own viewpoint and ignores contradictory data

Card Stacking By saying that no change has occurred, the cartoonist makes a jab at Obama's own campaign slogan.

Oversimplication The tendency to overlook complexity in an argument Relying on a simple explanation because it comes easily

Humans have caused Global Warming from driving their cars.

These two phrases plant an idea in your head that in order to be your best, you have to drink Starbucks, and that their coffee will inspire you when you taste it.

The assumption that one thing lead to another as in a chain reaction Slippery Slope The assumption that one thing lead to another as in a chain reaction

Circular Reasoning A claim which contains it’s own evidence Can often be said both ways, and proves nothing. You can trust me because I would never lie to you. I would never lie to you because you can trust me.

https://www. youtube. com/watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXLTQi7vVsI&ytsess ion=YraRLeDiE2ziD3Z9wld7jjJz2do3VFc5brwt52wo9gMW SBsoXgpQmPscNs50KYZ7nWUADTfvs80o1yUKkl1Zk1VFba QhrjFRZaaFbS7ibBgLqYihVxEMF875- PxZK7ildcYqMifhRcfhs2YLj_z6ftLAELcQ6zWEfB1wUJbQgC EbQBp-TTNXSTPG1ZbRRm_R37s8ILpdp8L https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRJUvFG8gbE&feat ure=related

http://psms29.com/cgi/example-of-bandwagon