English 255
Tosspon
Heald College
Meeting 10
Fast Food Nation
• Quiz on Chpt 10 and Epilogue
Logical fallacies
Chpt 17
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
Argument
An argument can be supported by...
• logic (logos), an appeal to reasoning
such as deductive and inductive;
• ethics (ethos), an appeal to one's sense
of right and wrong or good sense, or to
• emotions (pathos), an appeal to one’s
patriotism, fears, or sympathies.
Weak Arguments
• Weak arguments rely on illogical
statements called fallacies.
• The following slides contain 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.
False Dichotomy
Either/Or
• ...based on the false assumption that there
are only two possibilities. Sometimes called
the “Either/Or” fallacy. Most situations
provide more than 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 live
with lifelong regret or you will take a better trip
later 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/
Appeal to the Crowd
• relying on the emotional passion of the crowd in
making an argument; playing on a group's fears or
prejudices.
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 Campbell’s
class if the latest test was 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
Tradition:
...We should continue to do things as 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
though we dislike it because it’s been a
family tradition for generations.
Ad Hominem
(to the man)
• 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-incommand because he has ugly pointed
ears.
• Dr. Kirkegard’s books about
plant genetics are worthless
because he is a convicted
forger and embezzler.
Hasty Generalization
Over-generalization
• draws a conclusion about an entire group
based on insufficient evidence.
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 Causality
Post hoc, Ergo Procter Hoc
• (“after this; therefore because of this”)
attributes a cause/effect relationship simply
because something occurs after something
else. (“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 Question
Basing an argument on an assumption that has not
been proven or that is impossible to prove.
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-sequitur- ("it does not follow")
• “Non-SECK-quit-er” An inference or
conclusion that does not follow from
established premises or evidence.
Examples:
• The President graduated from Harvard. He
can't make mistakes.
• She rides a motorcycle, so she must be a lesbian.
Straw-man Argument
• attributes untrue characteristics to an
argument and then attacks the argument
based on those characteristics.
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 twentyone.
Circular Reasoning
• repeats a premise rather than giving a
valid reason.
Examples:
• Martha is a good supervisor
because she supervises the
company's personnel office
effectively.
• Only a fatalist would bungee jump, and the fact
that bungee jumpers are fatalists is proof of this.
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
attention away from the main issue by focusing on a side
issue or on something irrelevant.
Examples:
•"So you think that doctor-assisted suicide is morally acceptable? You
probably also think that an unborn human being is just a 'choice'.”
•"I work 60 hours a week to support my family, and I pay
my taxes; you shouldn't arrest me just because I punched
him in the face.”
•You’re not being fair by denying me the opportunity to make up the quiz; after
all, I’m paying for my own education, I work two jobs and have to raise my six
children on my own!
Assignment 1:Handout
• Review handout
with your group
• Match the
definitions of
fallacies
• Identify and
explain the
fallacies
Answers
Matching
l. Post hoc
h. Faulty
j. Hasty
g. Either/or
c. Ad hom
d. Begging the question
f. Circular
k. Non sequitur
a. Scare Tactics/Sentimental
e. Card Stacking
b. Red Herring
i. Guilt by association
m. Stereotyping
Identify
1. Stereotype
Overgeneralization
2. Hasty generalization
Stereotype, 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 (minimum) PER
GROUP analyzing the fallacy
you found. Please print and
attach the fallacy.
Many more logical
fallacies exist...
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/
Lists 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 Audience
Use Evidence
Analyze Evidence
One source of
information must be
primary research.