Chapter 6 reasoning errors arial red font thin border

Editor's Notes

• #2: Don’t worry about labeling every faulty reason perfectly. Instead, use this discussion of fallacies as a general tool to help you refute faulty reasoning in the arguments of others.
• #3: Reasons that seem logical but don’t necessarily support the conclusion. Statements that distract listeners from the real issue.
• #5: The key to an accurate analogy is that the two things being compared are similar in all significant aspects. Comparing spring soft with fresh air is not accurate in all of the elements. Stop and Think: Is the comparison valid? Is the situation, idea, or plan similar in all aspects? Smell induced by chemicals Smell from fresh air Recurrent cost involved One-time clothesline cost Quick when used with dryer Time consuming
• #6: Falls into the category of superstitions: A rabbit’s foot will bring good luck. The fallacy of false cause occurs when you assume that because events occur close together in time, they are necessarily related as cause and effect. For example, a baseball player who says, “So far this season, our team has won every time our players wore the white uniform. When they wore another color, they won. Therefore, to win the rest of the games, our players should not wear the white uniforms.” The problem is: there is no proof that wearing white caused the losses. “After this, therefore because of this” The fallacy of Post Hoc occurs when there is no real proof that one even caused another event; there is only evidence that one came after another.
• #7: If you ask for the day off then everyone else will. The domino argument involves a prediction about the future and is therefore based on speculation. Still, this form of reasoning can be valid, if the interpretations are soundly based on existing facts and reasonable probabilites.
• #8: Mentioning the opponent’s claims and exaggerating or distorting them. Then attacks the newly distorted more easily attacked argument. Angela: I think we should wait to until we’ve graduated and have jobs before we get married. James: So having tons of money is more important to you than being together. How can you be so materialistic?
• #9: Limited number of observations are made about A (A may represent a group or an individual). Limited evidence or insufficient information. Drawing generalizations on a small sample of information is the basis of prejudice.
• #10: Our language encourages polarized thinking by providing few words to describe the in between. Either or thinking. Polarization leads a listener away from a reasonable consideration of the complex problems involved and presents one conclusion as perfect while the other is seen as disastrous. Simplistic solutions without considering the complex problems.
• #11: Don’t be trapped into proving someone else’s conclusion. It’s hard enough to prove your own. Why are you always so defensive? “How do you know I can’t read minds?” Or a loaded question, “Do you want to charge that now or put it on layaway?”
• #14: Gets its name from the old practice of drawing a herring-a smoked fish- across a trail to distract hunting dogs from following a scent. The hounds are led away from their prey. Also used by criminals to distract their trail Children use this a lot. Father: Ahmed, brush your teeth and get to bed. Ahmed: You didn’t tell that to Sarah. A: I was upset when you didn’t come to my party. B: I guess that makes me the worst friend ever and that’s why you don’t like me.
• #15: An Actor has no right to take a position about environmental issues. A woman is not qualified for a position on a city council because she’s a homemaker.
• #16: A course of action should be taken because “everyone” is doing it. “Who wants Trident? I do. I do!”
• #17: Not talking about traditions held by families, organizations and nations, but talking more about the conclusions of the speakers may be fine, but the reasons for doing it are not relevant to the conclusions. You should drink Pepsi or Coke if you like the taste but not because everyone is doing it.
• #18: We take on too many responsibilities and then want someone to bail us out. OR we may neglect our responsibilities (schoolwork) and then want others to fix the problems we have brought on through neglect.
• #19: Words can be misleading because they often have more than one meaning. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines. If you think nobody cares, try missing a few payments. When everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane. Key words must maintain the same meaning throughout the argument.
• #20: Significant differences in two things being compared lead to a faulty analogy.