senate spring retreat logic lesson

8/12/2019 Senate Spring Retreat Logic Lesson

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SENATE SPRING RETREALogical Fallacies as Applied to Rhetoric and Debate


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LOGICAL FAL

A fallacy is a mistake in reasoning.

Informal fallacies result from information that is irrelevant, twisted,manipulated, an/or from ignorance.


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FALLACY OF DIV

Brief description: This results from erroneously transferring attributes from thwhole to the parts (i.e., wrongly assuming that what's true of whole is true ofparts.)

Ex: The completed jigsaw puzzle is circular in shape. Therefore, each piece ofthe puzzle is circular.


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FALLACY OF COMPOS

Brief description: This is the opposite of the fallacy of division. It results fromerroneously transferring attributes from the parts to the whole (i.e., wronglyassuming that what's true of parts is true of whole.)

Ex: Each atom in this piece of chalk is invisible. Therefore, the chalk is invisible


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CIRCULAR REASONING (BEGTHE QUE

Brief description: This takes several forms, including purely "circularreasoning", and assuming in premise(s) what's to be shown in conclusion.

Ex: I know God exists because the Bible says he does, and the Bible is truebecause it's God's word.


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FALSE DICHOTOMY (EITH

Brief description: This is committed when a disjunctive (either...or) assertionhides other alternatives.

Ex: The choice is yours: the spotted owl, or economic prosperity.


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SLIPPERY

Brief description: This fallacy rests upon an alleged chain reaction that isunlikely to occur.

Ex: Let naughty children go unpunished just once, and before you know it,theyll be stealing from your wallet, then robbing banks, and finally doingtime.


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BANDWAGON AP

Brief description: This fallacy attempts to justify a position simply on the basiof its having mass appeal (everybody thinks so, everybody is doing it).

Ex: Everyone lies sometimes, so just tell your boss youre sick and well go tothe beach.


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APPEAL TO IGNOR

Brief description: This consists of arguing that a proposition is true simply onthe basis that it has not been proven false (& vice versa).

Ex: No one has ever proven that the Loch Ness monster doesn't exist;therefore, it does exist. [or] No ever found Amelia Earharts body; therefore,she survived.


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APPEAL TO EM

Brief description: This results from appealing not to rational argument andevidence but rather to the emotional response of the audience.

Ex: I know I failed all my exams in here and my attendance was bad, butplease, Prof. Smith, you've just got to give me an "A" or it will break myparents heart and they may die of the strain.


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AD HOM

Brief description: This occurs when directing one's attack not at a conclusion,but rather at the person who asserts or defends it.

Ex: Everyone knows that the mayor has a son who's a drug addict; therefore,you should just disregard her arguments about the legalization of marijuana.


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STRAW

Brief description: When you attack a weakened or distorted representationof your opponent's argument, you commit the straw man fallacy.

Ex: Mr. Lu has argued against prayer in public schools. Obviously, headvocates atheism. But atheism is what they have in Russia, and it workshand in hand with communism. Mr. Lu is wrong!


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RED HE

Brief description: This results from introducing facts or issues that are not onlyirrelevant to a given conclusion, but that also attempt to divert attentionaway from the central point of the argument.

Ex: Ms. Smith claims that the average child watches too many hours oftelevision a week. Well, I just bought a new satellite dish and my reception

has never been better! There are so many great shows out there to watch,who can possibly say anything bad about today's television programming?


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COMPLEX/LOADED QUES

Brief Description: The fallacy of complex question is committed when two ormore questions are combined into a single one. A "trick" question.

Ex: Have you stopped dealing drugs on the street corner, Mr. Smith?

senate spring retreat logic lesson

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