Logical fallacies
- 1. Logical Fallacies EXIT Continue… A logical fallacy is a statement that contains faulty reasoning. Don’t give your reader a reason to doubt your information. Persuasive writing especially requires sound logic to support opinions. MENU
- 2. Logical Fallacies EXIT What’s wrong with this statement? Either we raise taxes, or we close the city parks. It’s that simple. Click to see an analysis A logical fallacy is a statement that contains faulty reasoning. Don’t give your reader a reason to doubt your information. Persuasive writing especially requires sound logic to support opinions. PREVIOUS MENU
- 3. Logical Fallacies EXIT This statement allows only two options while in fact there are many alternatives that would allow the parks to remain open. The statement is too extreme to seem reasonable. Either we raise taxes, or we close the city parks. It’s that simple. A logical fallacy is a statement that contains faulty reasoning. Don’t give your reader a reason to doubt your information. Persuasive writing especially requires sound logic to support opinions. Next PREVIOUS MENU
- 4. Common logical fallacies include the following. Click to choose the fallacy you want to explore. EXIT MENU Logical Fallacies MENU •Overgeneralization •Circular reasoning •False analogy •Either/or reasoning •Single cause •False cause
- 5. EXIT Logical Fallacies Continue… Overgeneralization An overgeneralization is a statement so broad that it can easily be disproved. Look for words like all, everyone, no one, always, never, none, when you revise. MENU
- 6. EXIT Logical Fallacies Overgeneralization An overgeneralization is a statement so broad that it can easily be disproved. Look for words like all, everyone, no one, always, never, none, when you revise. What is the overgeneralization in this sentence? Everyone loves the Weird Cats’ new song. Click to see the overgeneralization PREVIOUS MENU
- 7. EXIT Logical Fallacies Overgeneralization An overgeneralization is a statement so broad that it can easily be disproved. Look for words like all, everyone, no one, always, never, none, when you revise. What is the overgeneralization in this sentence? Everyone loves the Weird Cats’ new song. Click to see a revision PREVIOUS MENU
- 8. EXIT Logical Fallacies Overgeneralization An overgeneralization is a statement so broad that it can easily be disproved. Look for words like all, everyone, no one, always, never, none, when you revise. Everyone loves the Weird Cats’ new song. ORIGINAL Many people love the Weird Cats’ new song. REVISED Menu PREVIOUS MENU
- 9. EXIT Continue… Logical Fallacies Circular Reasoning An attempt to prove a statement by simply repeating it in different words is circular reasoning. MENU
- 10. EXIT Logical Fallacies Click to see the repeated idea Circular Reasoning An attempt to prove a statement by simply repeating it in different words is circular reasoning. What is the repeated idea in this sentence? We should protect endangered animals because it is important to help threatened wildlife survive. PREVIOUS MENU
- 11. EXIT Logical Fallacies Circular Reasoning An attempt to prove a statement by simply repeating it in different words is circular reasoning. What is the repeated idea in this sentence? We should protect endangered animals because it is important to help threatened wildlife survive. Continue… PREVIOUS MENU
- 12. EXIT Logical Fallacies Circular Reasoning An attempt to prove a statement by simply repeating it in different words is circular reasoning. How would you revise to avoid this circular reasoning? We should protect endangered animals because it is important to help threatened wildlife survive. Click to see a revision PREVIOUS MENU
- 13. EXIT Logical Fallacies Circular Reasoning An attempt to prove a statement by simply repeating it in different words is circular reasoning. We should protect endangered animals because it is important to help threatened wildlife survive. PREVIOUS MENU help threatened wildlife survive.
- 14. EXIT Logical Fallacies Circular Reasoning An attempt to prove a statement by simply repeating it in different words is circular reasoning. We should protect endangered animals because it is important to PREVIOUS MENU
- 15. EXIT Logical Fallacies Circular Reasoning An attempt to prove a statement by simply repeating it in different words is circular reasoning. We should protect endangered animals because it is important to PREVIOUS MENU maintain the diversity of animal life.
- 16. EXIT Logical Fallacies Circular Reasoning An attempt to prove a statement by simply repeating it in different words is circular reasoning. This revised sentence gives a specific reason why endangered animals should be protected: to maintain the diversity of animal life. Menu PREVIOUS MENU We should protect endangered animals because it is important tomaintain the diversity of animal life.
- 17. EXIT Logical Fallacies Continue… False Analogy A false analogy is a comparison between two things that are different in some essential way. MENU
- 18. EXIT Logical Fallacies False Analogy A false analogy is a comparison between two things that are different in some essential way. What is wrong with this comparison? Using a computer without training is like driving a car without a license. Click to see an analysis PREVIOUS MENU
- 19. EXIT Logical Fallacies False Analogy A false analogy is a comparison between two things that are different in some essential way. This argument compares using a computer with driving a car. The two activities do not compare in terms of the consequences of lack of training. Using a computer without training is like driving a car without a license. Menu PREVIOUS MENU
- 20. EXIT Logical Fallacies Continue… Either/Or Reasoning An either/or fallacy is a statement suggesting that there are only two possible ways to view a situation or only two options to choose from. MENU
- 21. EXIT Logical Fallacies Either/Or Reasoning An either/or fallacy is a statement suggesting that there are only two possible ways to view a situation or only two options to choose from. What other possibilities can you imagine for this example? Either we build a new airport, or we watch the economy of our community die. Click to see an analysis PREVIOUS MENU
- 22. EXIT Logical Fallacies Either/Or Reasoning An either/or fallacy is a statement suggesting that there are only two possible ways to view a situation or only two options to choose from. The economy may not thrive as it would with a new airport, but it will probably not die. Either we build a new airport, or we watch the economy of our community die. Click to see a revision PREVIOUS MENU
- 23. EXIT Logical Fallacies Either/Or Reasoning An either/or fallacy is a statement suggesting that there are only two possible ways to view a situation or only two options to choose from. Either we build a new airport, or we watch the economy of our community die. ORIGINAL Building a new airport will help our local economy grow. REVISED Menu This revision removes the limited options and presents a more reasonable statement. PREVIOUS MENU
- 24. EXIT Logical Fallacies Continue… Single Cause In a single cause fallacy, the writer assumes that an event has just one cause when there are actually multiple causes. MENU
- 25. EXIT Logical Fallacies Single Cause In a single cause fallacy, the writer assumes that an event has just one cause when there are actually multiple causes. Can you think of other possible reasons why the team might be terrible? Our team is terrible because our manager is terrible. Click to see a revision PREVIOUS MENU
- 26. EXIT Logical Fallacies Single Cause In a single cause fallacy, the writer assumes that an event has just one cause when there are actually multiple causes. Our team is terrible because our manager is terrible. ORIGINAL Our team is terrible because our manager is terrible, and too many of our players lack the skills to compete in this league. REVISED Menu PREVIOUS MENU
- 27. EXIT Logical Fallacies Continue… False Cause Just because one event occurred after another in time, the first event may not have caused the second event. Don’t let that kind of false cause reasoning show up in your writing. MENU
- 28. EXIT Logical Fallacies False Cause Just because one event occurred after another in time, the first event may not have caused the second event. Don’t let that kind of false cause reasoning show up in your writing. Are these two events actually connected? The Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. As a result, British warships arrived to attack New York Harbor eight days later. Click to see an analysis PREVIOUS MENU
- 29. EXIT Logical Fallacies False Cause Just because one event occurred after another in time, the first event may not have caused the second event. Don’t let that kind of false cause reasoning show up in your writing. Although it’s reasonable to assume the warships were sent in response to the Declaration of Independence, news of the event didn’t travel that fast. The ships were underway on their mission to attack New York well before July 4. The Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. As a result, British warships arrived to attack New York Harbor eight days later. Click to see a revision PREVIOUS MENU
- 30. EXIT Logical Fallacies False Cause Just because one event occurred after another in time, the first event may not have caused the second event. Don’t let that kind of false cause reasoning show up in your writing. The Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. As a result, British warships arrived to attack New York Harbor eight days later. ORIGINAL The Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, but the British had already decided to attack New York Harbor. The warships arrived on July 12. REVISED Menu PREVIOUS MENU