What are Logical Fallacies

Ever listen to one of your friends try to make a point, but they can't quite get there. Maybe they are so fired up that they just yell, "Well you would think that because you're stupid." In that moment, they are using a logical fallacy. They ran out of steam and lobbed an ad hominem at you. (Ad hominems are often seen in Facebook and Twitter Flame Wars).

Fallacies are common errors which undercut the logic of your argument. We are reviewing these because you need to avoid them when you are doing your research and when you are writing your paper.

Here are the logical fallacies:

Non sequitur: A conclusion does not logically follow the evidence presented. A + B ≠ C. Such as: "Students who default on their student loans have no sense of responsibility." Obviously this doesn't make sense because people make mistakes. That has nothing to do with sense of responsibility.

False cause or post hoc: An argument that falsely assumes that because one thing happens after another, the first event was a cause of the second event. "I drank bottled water and now I am sick, so the water must have made me sick." Obviously it was not the water's fault. It could have been, but the cause and effect is not enough to make that claim with certainty.

Self-Contradiction: An argument which contradicts itself."No absolute statement can be true." The fact that this is an absolute statement contradicts itself.

False Analogy: A comparison in which a surface similarity masks a significant difference."Governments and businesses both work with a budget to accomplish their goals. Just as a business must focus on the bottom line, so should government." Government is not a business. They are two very different things.

Red Herring: An argument which diverts attention from the true issue by concentrating on an irrelevant one. "The level of mercury in seafood may be unsafe, but what will fishers do to support their families?" What do the fishers families have to do with mercury?

Begging the Question: A form of circular reasoning that assumes the truth of a questionable opinion. "Filthy and polluting coal should be banned." This statement begs the question, How Filthy is Coal?

Hasty generalization: A conclusion based on inadequate evidence."Even though it's only the first day, I can tell this is going to be a boring course." It's the first day, man.

Sweeping generalization: An overly broad statement made in absolute terms. When made about a group of people, it is known as a STEREOTYPE. "All Millennials grew up with smartphones making them all narcissists." Not all anyone are anything.

Bandwagon: An argument that depends on going along with the crowd, on the false assumption that truth can be determined by a popularity contest. "Given the sales of that book, the author's theory must be accurate." Popularity does not equal accuracy.

Ad hominem: A personal attack on someone who disagrees with you rather than on the person's argument. "Green Peace's strategies aren't effective because they are all dirty, lazy hippies." This example is also a sweeping generalization.

Guilt by Association: Discrediting a person because of problems with that person's associates, friends or family. "Smith's friend has been convicted of fraud, so Smith cannot be trusted." Smith hasn't done anything.

False Authority: Presenting the testimony of an unqualified person to support a claim. "Ariana Grande is a vegan, therefore it must be a healthy lifestyle." Ariana Grande is not a nutritionist.

Circular Reasoning: An argument that restates the point rather than supporting it with reasonable evidence. "Obama is a good communicator because he speaks effectively." Because he is a good communicator. It all keeps circling back to the same point.

Either/or Fallacy: The idea that a complicated issue can be resolved by resorting to one of only two options when in reality there are additional choices. "We can either ban soda or everyone will get diabetes." Everyone? Seriously?

Now, don't forget, you have a Wix assignment where you go out and find Logical Fallacies in the wild. Before 11:59 pm on FRIDAY 10/13 Compose a post for your Wix page (200-300 words) Select one of the logical fallacies from this post and locate an example of it in a TV show, a song, a video clip, a speech, or an advertisement. (DO NOT USE SLIDES FROM A POWERPOINT OR ANYTHING WHICH A GOOGLE SEARCH PRODUCES WHICH COULD BE TEACHING MATERIALS. THAT IS NOT A FALLACY IN ACTION). Identify the fallacy and explain why it is a logical fallacy. (BTW, Fans of The Office and Parks and Recreation know that both of those programs are wonderful resources for Logical Fallacies)

Also, don't forget Short Assignment #2 is due next week, as well as Peer Review is next week for Project #2, which means you need to have a draft ready.