By the end of this lesson, students will
learn to use the fourth and fifth Keys of
Reasoning in debating, i.e. Point of View
and Concept.
1. Share the examples from homework.
2. Discuss how the speaker uses assumptions to
have the audience assimilated into what
they are speaking about.
Key 4: Points of View
1. From what point of view are you looking at this?
2. Is there another point of view we should consider?
3. Which of these possible viewpoints makes the most sense given the
situation?
More advanced:
4. What are you implying by that?
5. When you say ____________, are you implying ___________?
6. But, if that happened, what else would happen as a result? Why?
7. What effect would that have?
8. Would that necessarily happen or only possibly/probably happen?
9. What is an alternative?
10. If _______________ and ___________________ are the case, then
what might also be true?
11. If we say that _________is ethical, how about _____________?
Key 5: Concept
1. What is the main idea you are using in your reasoning?
2. Could you explain that idea?
3. Are you using your concepts justifiably?
More advanced:
4. How does _______________ relate to _______________?
Effective debaters should define ideas and
concepts clearly to address a particular
PoV as well as considering other PoVs to
develop consistent and objective
arguments.
Consistency in thoughts will reinforce a
team line and enhance persuasion.
Trick Question:
What is a dog?
1. Work in groups.
2. Improvise and introduce its
special features which make the
object a specific object.
1. Besides the factual, declarative statements, a
concept, or an idea, may vary from person to
person.
2. It depends on how a person/thing/object is
perceived.
3. The physically same person/thing/object is NOT
identical if it carries meaning given or interpreted
by a person who has a particular point of view.
4. Given the variation in people’s interpretation of
a concept, we should learn how to think based on
some methodical process of reasoning to avoid
committing logical fallacies as we form arguments,
such as, in a debate.
Logical
Fallacy
Example
Argument You claim to
directed at understand
the person animals, but
you are not
thinking
straight.
1
Error in Reasoning
(including the
reasoning about the
main idea, i.e.
concept, on which
the statement is
based)
Misconception:
There is a necessary
relationship between
one’s understanding
of animals and their
ability to think
straight.
Possible Question to
Ask
and Rebut
Argument to Defend after
Mistakenly Committing the
Fallacy
Thank you for
recognising that I am
one of those who
understand animals, but
we should focus more
on the motion today,
‘Animals should not
be kept in captivity’,
and my team’s
argument. Our
arguments are well
thought, and please
allow me to reiterate that
the motion must stand.
As we, including you and me,
are part of the animal world,
there is no doubt that we, like
all counterparts, need the
freedom to live. Freedom,
however, as to the best of our
knowledge, is not infinite. In a
world of scarcity, one’s
freedom exists at the expense
of another’s. If we assume
that animals will live freely as
they are not kept in captivity,
we are making a false
condition because any animals
are not born free as we live by
the law of nature. Therefore,
the motion does not stand.
Logical
Fallacy
False
appeal to
authority
2
Example
Error in Reasoning Possible Question to
(including the
Ask
reasoning about the
and Rebut
main idea, i.e.
concept, on which
the statement is
based)
I know that
Misconception:
In what way can you
tigers can be
Words from a
come to a conclusion
tamed because celebrity are reliable. that tigers can be tamed
Angelina Jolie
because Angelina Jolie
says so.
says so? Is she an expert
on tigers? How can your
argument be valid just
based on her ‘words’?
Argument to Defend after
Mistakenly Committing the
Fallacy
This fallacy is fatal. It is hard
to reverse and defend; the
wisest way, if the fallacy is
made, would be to drop this
line of reasoning immediately,
clarify it and move on to
another or next reasoning.
Time is costly in a debate!
Logical
Fallacy
Example
Circular
argument
Young people
should go to
school
because they
are young.
3
Error in Reasoning
(including the
reasoning about the
main idea, i.e.
concept, on which
the statement is
based)
Misconception: The
argument fails to
achieve its purpose,
i.e. there is a
proposition/reason
which should prove
its conclusion. The
reason here contains
no evidence that is
distinct from the
conclusion.
Possible Question to
Ask
and Rebut
Argument to Defend after
Mistakenly Committing the
Fallacy
Young people are no
doubt young. What
makes you think it is
the reason why they
should go to school? It
is every child’s right
to receive education,
but it is not because
they are young, but
because it is a human
right.
Young people, in particular,
need schooling, because they
are too young to make mature
decisions not just
intellectually but also socially.
School provides the most
opportunities for young
people to watch and learn,
and to make mistakes as they
interact with others, including
different role models and
negative examples outside
their families. The encounters
with different people are
something that home
schooling cannot offer to a
young person.
Logical
Fallacy
Error in Reasoning Possible Question to
(including the
Ask
reasoning about the
and Rebut
main idea, i.e.
concept, on which
the statement is
based)
Hasty
Teenagers
Misconception:
In what way can you
generalisa- nowadays are Teenagers are lazy.
say that teenagers are
tion
lazy and
generally lazy, because
undisciplined
your cousin is thought
because my
to be lazy as he plays
15-year-old
TV games all day and
cousin playing
never finishes
TV games all
homework? How do
day and never
you know your cousin
finishes his
does so simply because
homework.
he is lazy but not for
other reasons, such as,
learning difficulties,
problems with peers,
boredom at school, or
family problems?
4
Example
Argument to Defend after
Mistakenly Committing the
Fallacy
My 15-year-old cousin may
not be a benchmark on which
I can base to generalise that
all teenagers are
undisciplined and lack goals
of their own. He IS a typical
example though. According to
the survey conducted by…,
we find that…
Logical
Fallacy
Example
After this,
therefore
because of
this
My uncle
started
playing
football, and
soon he had a
heart attack.
Therefore,
football
causes heart
attacks.
5
Error in Reasoning
(including the
reasoning about the
main idea, i.e.
concept, on which
the statement is
based)
Misconception:
Playing football is
the cause of heart
attacks.
Possible Question to
Ask
and Rebut
Argument to Defend after
Mistakenly Committing the
Fallacy
Was it proven that your
uncle’s heart attack
was caused by playing
football? Why is it
necessary to make this
single incident general?
Perhaps I would be the one
who have lately witnessed a
case in which a person
suffered from a heart attack
because of playing football.
According to the diagnosis by
Dr …, professor at…, my
uncle had a heart attack
after… This was not an
accident or a rare coincidence.
There has been a research
undertaken by….
Logical
Fallacy
Example
False
dichotomy
(or false
dilemma)
If we have no
exams, then
we have no
standards in
our schools.
6
Error in Reasoning
(including the
reasoning about the
main idea, i.e.
concept, on which
the statement is
based)
Misconception: The
dilemma does not
necessarily arise
because it is just an
either-or fallacy. The
fallacy is caused in a
situation or condition
where negligible or
even no alternatives
are considered.
Possible Question to
Ask
and Rebut
Argument to Defend after
Mistakenly Committing the
Fallacy
How can we assume
that, without exams,
there would be no
standards in schools?
Exams may be only one
of the tools to reflect
how much we have
achieved against some
standard. Definitely
exams are not the single
tool or what would be
the meaning of our
daily learning? We
believe that each day
counts.
Exams are not the only tool
for us to know how much we
are learning in the right track.
Without them, we may still
have ways to find out but it
will take a much greater deal
of time and effort from
teachers and students. It will
also demand the
understanding of other tools
among all, including parents.
Anyone can foresee that there
would cause a far more
massive burden than exams to
all.
Logical
Fallacy
Example
False
conditional
If exams
are
cancelled,
then
students
will enjoy
learning.
Error in Reasoning
Misconception: Exams are the only factor that determines
whether students enjoy learning or not.
This is a common fallacy. The following are popular, easy to
understand explanations about necessary and sufficient
conditions, and how a conditional will falsely be formed if the
two types of conditions are mixed:

If it rains (A), then there are clouds (B). (If A, then B.)


7
If there are not any clouds (B), then it will not rain (A).
(If not B, then not A.) 

If it does not rain (A), then there will not be any clouds
(B). (If not A, then not B.) ×
Note: The proposition is NOT logically valid because it
commits the fallacy of denying the antecedent.
• If there are clouds (B), it rains (A). (If B, then A.) ×
Note: The proposition is NOT logically true because it
commits the fallacy of affirming the consequent.
Visit the following websites if you would like to find details
about false conditionals and more others:

http://faculty.uncfsu.edu/jyoung/chapter_4_notes.htm

http://www.philosophicalsociety.com/logical%20fallacie
s.htm

http://www.google.com.hk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&
frm=1&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CD4QFjAD&url=htt
p%3A%2F%2Fwww.gmu.edu%2Fcourses%2Fphil%2Fa
ncient%2FEffective_Argumentation.ppt&ei=tmgEUtnP
NqSAiQfHkYBw&usg=AFQjCNFmELMzOY1lp9gZ_q
8vrXLQHbWQjQ&sig2=MaySxzBwEBxFvqq7lIJfbg
Possible
Question to
Ask
and Rebut
Argument to
Defend after
Mistakenly
Committing the
Fallacy
Exams are neither
a necessary or
sufficient condition
for learning
enjoyment.
Learning
enjoyment does not
hinge on whether
there are exams or
not, but on whether
a student can find
meaning from the
learning process.
Could you imagine
how overjoyed one
could feel after
making a record in
a swimming
contest? That is not
just about winning
but the sense of
fulfillment after
one’s efforts have
been rewarded.
Working hard for
an exam is like
one’s striving for
a swimming
contest.
Perhaps we cannot
say that students
will enjoy learning
if exams are
cancelled, but you
must agree that,
without exams,
students will have
more autonomy to
learn based on
their own goals.
They will then be
free from examoriented exercises
and practice to
enjoy learning.
Logical
Fallacy
Hearsay
Example
I’ve heard
that tofu is
good for the
heart.
8
Error in Reasoning Possible Question to
(including the
Ask
reasoning about the
and Rebut
main idea, i.e.
concept, on which
the statement is
based)
Misconception:
What is the source of
What one has heard the information? Why
is assumed to be true. should we consider it
for today’s motion if it
is hearsay?
Argument to Defend after
Mistakenly Committing the
Fallacy
Yes, I’ve heard that tofu is
good for the heart, but I am
sure that this would not be
only me in this room who
have heard of this. This is not
hearsay. From the medical
article by…
A concept should be defined or redefined to argue for or against a
motion from the perspective of the
listener to strengthen persuasion.
1. Have a mini-debate on a motion.
2. Identify the definitions from the Affirmative OR
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
the Opposition perspective.
Find if there are any inconsistencies, ambiguous or
conflicting points in the definitions. These will
weaken the teams’ arguments.
Rebut an argument which was found to be built on
an ill-defined concept.
Stand up and make a rebuttal at least once.
Further rebuttals will win bonus points.
Use the expressions for debating.
Rebuttal Practice
Debaters need examples and evidence to
support their arguments.
Look for any examples of using
figures/information/or any evidence to
support a point of view in daily life, or
any examples that they think may interest
the classmates.
Take-home Job