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Logical Fallacies (1) (3)

The document discusses various logical fallacies, which are common errors in reasoning that weaken arguments. It defines several types of fallacies, including Ad Hominem, Ad Populum, Post Hoc, Either or Reasoning, Hasty Generalization, False Analogy, Slippery Slope, and Straw Man, providing examples for each. Additionally, it references resources for further reading and includes a practice section for analyzing fallacies.

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Maha H Yøunes
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2 views

Logical Fallacies (1) (3)

The document discusses various logical fallacies, which are common errors in reasoning that weaken arguments. It defines several types of fallacies, including Ad Hominem, Ad Populum, Post Hoc, Either or Reasoning, Hasty Generalization, False Analogy, Slippery Slope, and Straw Man, providing examples for each. Additionally, it references resources for further reading and includes a practice section for analyzing fallacies.

Uploaded by

Maha H Yøunes
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Logical Fallacies

ENGL 201
Phoenicia University
What are fallacies?

 Fallacies are common errors in reasoning that will


undermine the logic of your argument.

 Fallacies can be either illegitimate arguments or


irrelevant points, and are often identified because
they lack evidence that supports their claim.
Ad Hominem
 This is an attack on
the character of a
person rather than
his or her opinions
or arguments.

 E.g. Green Peace's


strategies aren't
effective because
they are all dirty,
lazy hippies.
Ad Populum
 This is an emotional appeal
that speaks to positive (such as
patriotism, religion, democracy)
or negative (such as terrorism
or fascism) concepts rather
than the real issue at hand.

 E.g. If you were a true


Lebanese you would support X
for a presidential candidate!
Post Hoc

 This is a conclusion that assumes that if 'A'


occurred after 'B' then 'B' must have caused
'A.' Post hoc is the shortened version of “post
hoc ergo propter hoc”, which translates as
“after this, therefore because of this”.

 In other words, the fallacy confuses


correlation for causation, or mistakenly
claiming that one thing caused another to
happen since they happen in sequence.

 E.g., I drank bottled water and now I am sick,


so the water must have made me sick.
Either or Reasoning
 When the speaker is unwilling to recognize
complexity.

 The speaker restricts a wide range of


choices to only two possibilities, one absurd
and the other remaining the only “logical”
choice.

 E.g. Good students will study and learn


without the threat of an exam, and bad
students won't study and learn even with
the threat of an exam. So, exams serve no
Hasty Generalization

 This is a conclusion based on insufficient or


biased evidence.

 In other words, you are rushing to a


conclusion before you have all the relevant
facts.

 E.g., Even though it's only the first day, I can


tell this is going to be a boring course.
False Analogy

 This fallacy consists in assuming that


because two things are alike in one or
more respects, they are necessarily alike in
some other respect.

 E.g. People who buy stocks are no different


from people who bet on horse racing. They
both risk their money with little chance of
making a big profit.
Slippery Slope
 This is a conclusion based on the premise
that if A happens, then eventually through
a series of small steps, through B, C,..., X,
Y, Z will happen, too, basically equating A
and Z.

 So, if we don't want Z to occur, A must not


be allowed to occur either.

 E.g. If we ban Hummers because they are


bad for the environment eventually the
government will ban all cars, so we should
Straw Man
 This fallacy formulates a weaker
version of the opponent’s position to
make it easier to deconstruct.

 E.g. People who think abortion should


be banned have no respect for the
rights of women. They treat them as
nothing but baby-making machines.
That's wrong. Women must have the
right to choose.
References

Logical Fallacies. Purdue Online Writing Lab


https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/659/
03/. Accessed 2 October, 2017

Fallacies. UNC Writing Center


http://writingcenter.unc.edu/files/2012/09/Fallacie
s-The-Writing-Center.pdf. Accessed 2 October,
2017
Practice

 Analyze the logical fallacies in the sentences on


page 11 in the student booklet.

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