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Thinking & Communication Skills Calvin Lee Yu Ting (Kil170012) Example of Fallacies

This document provides examples of common logical fallacies used in arguments. It discusses 11 different fallacies: red herring, bandwagonism, scare tactics, appeal to pity, arguing "X is false because X is false", appeal to belief, common practice, ad hominem, dichotomy, two wrongs make one right, and burden of proof. For each fallacy, it provides one or two examples to illustrate how that fallacy presents itself in arguments.

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71 views

Thinking & Communication Skills Calvin Lee Yu Ting (Kil170012) Example of Fallacies

This document provides examples of common logical fallacies used in arguments. It discusses 11 different fallacies: red herring, bandwagonism, scare tactics, appeal to pity, arguing "X is false because X is false", appeal to belief, common practice, ad hominem, dichotomy, two wrongs make one right, and burden of proof. For each fallacy, it provides one or two examples to illustrate how that fallacy presents itself in arguments.

Uploaded by

Jian Liang
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THINKING & COMMUNICATION SKILLS

CALVIN LEE YU TING (KIL170012)

Example of Fallacies

1. Red Herring
a. In conversation, in arguing against gay marriage rights - "I don't think that there should be
marriage among homosexuals. Anyway, taxes on married people are high. I think that taxes
on the married are just ridiculous."
b. In government, arguing for raising taxes - "We need more revenue to support the programs
that we have. Children are our future. Let's support children."

2. Bandwagonism/ Peer Pressure

a. Jonathan notices that many of his friends have started eating a low-carb diet and drinking
protein shakes. Jon decides that this must be the healthy way to eat, so he joins them.
b. During the obstacle course, Kelvin believes that going left will get them out of the maze,
but everyone else thinks they should go right. So, Kelvin goes with the group.

3. Scare Tactics

a. Argument by a politician that if we do not raise taxes, the country will default on its debts.
b. A teacher tells the students that if they do not keep the noise down, the principal is bound
to hear and come to the classroom.

4. Appeal to Pity
a. Commercials that show starving children in Africa before asking for donations to feed
them.
b. Saying that you support a specific candidate for president, only because he has recently
been diagnosed with cancer.
5. X is false because X is false
a. Simon, Karl, Jared, and Brett are all friends of Josh, and they are all petty criminals. Jill is
a friend of Josh; therefore, Jill is a petty criminal.
b. John is a con artist. John has black hair. Therefore, all people with black hair are con
artists.

6. Appeal to Belief
a. Most of the class believed that Judy was the one who took the bell from Mrs. Lee' desk, so
Mrs. Lee turned Judy in to the office.
b. Majority of moms believe that children should go to bed early at night, so that must be
what is good for them.

7. Common Practice
a. Everyone at this company takes home a few office supplies for themselves, so you do it as
well.
b. It's okay to let your children spend the night at the house of someone you don't really know
because most other parents would be okay with it.

8. Ad Hominem
a. Use of marital status to invalidate an opinion of someone of a different status - "How can
you make a decision about someone having marital problems if you've never been married
yourself?"
b. Responding in any debate with an attack on one's personal beliefs - "You don't even belong
to a church. How can you claim to be a Christian?"

9. Dichotomy
a. You need to go to the party with me, otherwise you’ll just be bored at home.
b. I thought you were a good person, but you weren’t at church today.
10. Two wrongs make one right
a. When Mr. Harris catches Harris cheating on the test, she says that she shouldn't be in
trouble because she also saw Peter cheating.
b. Donald Trump defends his comments about women by pointing at the behaviour of Bill
Clinton toward women.

11. Burden of Proof


a. Lisa believes in ghosts. Mark tells her that there is no evidence that ghosts exist. Lisa tells
Mark that there is no evidence that they don't.
b. An employee goes to her boss and claims that she has been harassed at work. The boss
asks her for evidence to support the claims. She argues that he needs to prove that she wasn't
harassed and that she shouldn't have to provide evidence.

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