A fallacy is simply an error in making your argument. The mistake can appear in your claim, your evidence, or in your reasoning. Taking a ride on the fallacy bandwagon will ensure that you have a weak argument that can be easily ripped apart in the event that you have opposition with weak-seeking fallacy hounds. The four main categories of fallacies are:
1. Faulty assertions
2. Flawed evidence
3. Defective reasoning
4. Erroneous responses
Looking at the blip on fallacies in the chapter in addition to looking at the handy dandy fallacy table in the text, I can't help but think that media and all of the people in it are feeding the public fallacies by the earful/eyeful/mouthful. Jeez. But I am pretty sure that I have already had that ranto, so...
Claim-based fallacies stem from an error in basic assumptions or assertions. Types of claim-based fallcies include False Dilemma, Begging the Question, Slippery Slope, and Ad Ignorantiam.
Fallacies in evidence are a result of the evidence being irrelevant, inaccurate, insufficient, or even having nothing to do with the claim. Red herring, Comparitive Evidence Fallacy, Ad Populum, and the Appeal to Tradition Fallacy are types of fallacies in evidence.
Fallacies in reasoning are errors in the way that the speaker links the evidence to the claims. They include the Division Fallacy, the Hasty Generalization Fallacy (the bane of Ents everywhere), the Post Hoc Fallacy, and the Weak Analogy Fallacy.
Finally, we have fallacies in responding, in which the listener makes errors while critiquing a speaker's argument. These include the Ad hominem Fallacy, the Guilt by Association Fallacy, the Straw Man Fallacy, and the Loaded Word Fallacy.
I feel like watching the election coverage is going to get a lot more entertaining with this better understanding of fallacy in argument.
Mmmmmm tasty fallacies! The way that I like to explain fallacies is when I hear/read something and my brain vomits all over itself or when I hear or read something and I just blurt out WHAT?! Regardless of social settings. I think you pretty much nailed every fallacy there is in your article. Fallacies are everywhere, in everything we do there is a fallacy being told to use or soon to be pouring into our minds. I don't know if people are just blissfully ignorant or well I don't actually know another scenario, but still I don't see how people can just go on day to day being fed a steady diet of fallacy and not do anything. The election coverage is just going to be disgusting. Listening to politicians makes my brain attempt suicide. It amazes me that they can say one thing and then the next day say something that counters their previous statement and instead of people thinking hmmmm, maybe hes just saying what we want to hear. They think man this guy just covers everything just right. Anyways great article on fallacies.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you picked this to discuss :) you make such great points in that not everyone heads down this ever so slippery path on purpose. Often times they have been misled by some bias site, person, program, or book. Thus meaning as we do our research in preparing for a presentation, we must look at each of our sources individually and we must do so very carefully. We need to consider all biases that may be present in the evidence we are about to present. With that being said, most information has some type of bias which could easily create some type of fallacy when presented, but if researched properly and the bias being addressed, we can still used this information correctly while elimination the possibility for misrepresentation. I am dreading this election year as I have a sick feeling it is going to be filled with so much garbage making the general public refusing to watch TV until the November elections are over. In typing this, I just remembered a commercial perfect for this fallacy example. It is a prop 29 commercial where they provided some doctor with false information persuading her to speak on the behalf of the companies against this particular proposition. I would almost be willing to bet this poor lady was given fed many inaccurate numbers and severely bloated information. Now she has probably ruined her career over false information was provided from sources she thought were credible.
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