English 255

Tosspon

Heald College

Meeting 10

Fast Food Nation• Quiz on Chpt 10 and Epilogue

Logical fallacies Logical fallacies Chpt 17Chpt 17

Statements that weaken arguments...Statements that weaken arguments...

Logical Fallacies

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXMKPvWqgYk - Creationist Fallacies

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCt8xZpRaoM – Anti Brock.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teMlv3ripSM - Monty Python Argument Clinic

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1rZAMsDcj8 – jerks “lost” on a hill

ArgumentAn argument can be supported by...

• logic (logos), an appeal to reasoning such as deductive and inductive;

• ethics ethics (ethos), an appeal to one's sense of right and wrong or good sense, or to

• emotionsemotions (pathos), an appeal to one’s patriotism, fears, or sympathies.

Weak ArgumentsWeak Arguments

• Weak arguments rely on illogical illogical statementsstatements called fallaciesfallacies.

• The following slides contain The following slides contain examples of logical fallacies...examples of logical fallacies...

Scare Tactics

• Turn legitimate fears into panic or prejudice.

• If we don’t know what everyone is doing at all times, we will suffer another terrorist attack like 9/11.

FalseFalse DichotomyDichotomyEitherEither/Or/Or

• ...based on the false assumption that there are only two possibilitiesthere are only two possibilities. Sometimes called the “Either/OrEither/Or” fallacy. ” fallacy. Most situations provide more than Most situations provide more than two possible outcomes.two possible outcomes.

Examples: • Either you are with America's fight against

terrorism or you are America's enemy.• If you don’t take this trip now, you will either If you don’t take this trip now, you will either live live

with lifelong regretwith lifelong regret or you will or you will take a better trip take a better trip laterlater in your life. in your life.

Slippery Slope• Portrays today’s tiny misstep as tomorrow’s

slide into disaster. Some event will follow another.

• "We have to stop the tuition increase! The next thing you know, they'll be charging $40,000 a semester!"

• "The US shouldn't get involved militarily in other countries. Once the government sends in a few troops, it will then send in thousands to die."

• "You can never give anyone a break. If you do, they'll walk all over you."

• "We've got to stop them from banning pornography. Once they start banning one form of literature, they will never stop. Next thing you know, they will be burning all the books!"

Sentimental Appeals

• Uses tender emotions excessively to distract readers from facts.

Our relief program has admittedly lost track of some donations, but just think of all the suffering children we’ve saved from starvation and disease.

Bandwagon/Bandwagon/Appeal to the CrowdAppeal to the Crowd

• relying on the emotional passion of the crowd in making an argument; playing on a group's fears or prejudices.

Examples:Examples: • We will all go broke if we don't put a stop to

welfare fraud.• All I can say is that if enjoying junk food is

unhealthy, then the majority of us are unhealthy!

• Just ask anyone in Professor Just ask anyone in Professor Campbell’s class if the latest test was Campbell’s class if the latest test was extremely unfair.extremely unfair.

Appeals to False Authority

• This fallacy is committed when the person in question is not a legitimate authority on the subject. 

• I'm not a doctor, but I play one on the hit series "Bimbos and Studmuffins in the OR." You can take it from me that when you need a fast acting, effective and safe pain killer there is nothing better than MorphiDope 2000. That is my considered medical opinion.

Dogmatism. Appeal To Dogmatism. Appeal To Tradition:Tradition:

...We should continue to do things as do things as they have been done in the past.they have been done in the past. We shouldn't challenge time-honored customs or traditions. (“don't rock the boat”)

• Of course you have to play “Here Comes the Bride" at your wedding, because that's always been the song that is played.

• We always have liver on Thanksgiving even We always have liver on Thanksgiving even though we dislike it because it’s been a though we dislike it because it’s been a family tradition for generations.family tradition for generations.

Ad Hominem Ad Hominem (to the man)(to the man)

• attacks the person rather than the issue.attacks the person rather than the issue.Examples:

• Sam is divorced, so how can he make sound financial decisions for the city?

• Mr. Spock is not an effective second-in- command because he has ugly pointed ears.

• Dr. Kirkegard’s books about plant genetics are worthless because he is a convicted forger and embezzler.

Hasty GeneralizationOver-generalization

• draws a conclusion about an entire group draws a conclusion about an entire group based on insufficient evidence.based on insufficient evidence.

Examples: Examples: • I know five Italians who like pizza, so all

Italians must like pizza.

• Since Warren Buffet and Bill Gates made large gifts to charitable causes, all wealthy men must be charitable.

Faulty CausalityFaulty CausalityPost hoc, Ergo Procter HocPost hoc, Ergo Procter Hoc

• (“after this; therefore because of this”)attributes a cause/effect relationship simplybecause something occurs after somethingelse. (“black cat” reasoning)

Examples: • A black cat crossed my path before I took the

math test; I ended up failing the test because of that cat!

• Our weather patterns have changed since we began launching the space shuttle into space.

Begging the QuestionBegging the Question

Basing an argument on an assumption that has not been proven or that is impossible to prove.

Examples:Examples:• Synthetic vitamins are dangerous to one's health, so all of

them should be removed from the store shelves.

• Teaching evolution is contrary to what God wants; therefore, the theory of evolution comes directly from Satan.

• People who watch little or no TV are generally more active than people who watch a lot of TV because the major networks send subliminal messages to make people passive, sleepy, and wanting more TV.

Equivocation

• Gives a lie an honest appearance. It is a half-truth.

• Bill Clinton, “I never had sex with that woman.” Depends on a limited definition of “sex.”

• Alex Rodriguez may have taken performance-enhancing drugs but said, “I don’t know exactly what”… he tested positive for illegal drugs but since he didn’t “know” what kinds…

Non-sequiturNon-sequitur- ("it does not follow")

• “Non-SECK-quit-er” An inference or conclusion that does not follow from established premises or evidence.

Examples:Examples: • The President graduated from

Harvard. He can't make mistakes.• She rides a motorcycle, so she must

be a lesbian.

Straw-man ArgumentStraw-man Argument• attributes untrue characteristics to an

argument and then attacks the argument based on those characteristics.

Examples:Examples: • "Evolution is false! How could a

mouse evolve into an elephant!?" • You’re a bad driver, so that’s why you won't

support a bill to raise the driving age to twenty-one.

Circular ReasoningCircular Reasoning

• repeats a premise rather than giving a valid reason.

Examples: Examples:

•Martha is a good supervisor because she supervises the because she supervises the company's personnel office company's personnel office effectively.effectively.

• Only a fatalist would bungee jump, and the fact that bungee jumpers are fatalists is proof of this.

Red Herring Red Herring • ...named after a strong-smelling fish, the scent of which throws hounds

off the scent of a trail. The Red Herring occurs when one draws The Red Herring occurs when one draws attention away from the main issue by focusing on a side attention away from the main issue by focusing on a side issue or on something irrelevant. issue or on something irrelevant. 

Examples: Examples:

•"So you think that doctor-assisted suicide is morally "So you think that doctor-assisted suicide is morally acceptable? You probably also think that an unborn human acceptable? You probably also think that an unborn human being is just a 'choice'.”being is just a 'choice'.”

•"I work 60 hours a week to support my family, and I pay "I work 60 hours a week to support my family, and I pay my taxes; you shouldn't arrest me just because I punched my taxes; you shouldn't arrest me just because I punched him in the face.”him in the face.”

•You’re not being fair by denying me the You’re not being fair by denying me the opportunity to make up the quiz; after all, opportunity to make up the quiz; after all, I’m paying for my own education, I work two I’m paying for my own education, I work two jobs and have to raise my six children on my jobs and have to raise my six children on my own! own!

Assignment 1:Handout

• Review handout with your group

• Match the definitions of fallacies

• Identify and explain the fallacies

AnswersMatching

l. Post hoch. Faultyj. Hastyg. Either/orc. Ad homd. Begging the questionf. Circulark. Non sequitur a. Scare Tactics/Sentimentale. Card Stackingb. Red Herringi. Guilt by associationm. Stereotyping

Identify1. Stereotype

Overgeneralization

2. Hasty generalizationStereotype, oversimplification

3. False analogy Overgeneralization

4. Hasty generalization

5. Equivocation

6. Post Hoc

7. Bandwagon

Assignment 2• Find Logical Fallacies!

– Use your book (Fast Food Nation)

– Use the internet (don’t search “logical fallacies”). Really look at:

• blogs, newspapers, speeches, advertisements

Deliverable: 1 pg Deliverable: 1 pg (minimum) PER GROUP (minimum) PER GROUP analyzing the fallacy you analyzing the fallacy you found. Please print and found. Please print and attach the fallacy. attach the fallacy.

Many more logical Many more logical fallacies exist...fallacies exist...http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/

Lists 42 types of fallaciesLists 42 types of fallacies

End of Presentation.

Final Benchmark• Did you read the instruction packet, including

grading rubric?•Argument essay = STRONG THESIS

•Persuasive strategies

•Reputable: editorials, government statement and policy papers, speeches, political cartoons, popular periodicals, TV news programs, and satire.

Persuade AudienceUse EvidenceAnalyze Evidence

One source of information must be primary research.