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Fallacies-IN-ARGUMENT

The document discusses the concepts of valid and sound arguments, emphasizing the importance of avoiding logical fallacies that undermine soundness. It defines various types of fallacies, such as hasty generalization, post hoc reasoning, slippery slope, and appeal to authority, providing examples for each. Additionally, it includes exercises for identifying fallacies in given statements.

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コトガ悪Ganyu
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5 views31 pages

Fallacies-IN-ARGUMENT

The document discusses the concepts of valid and sound arguments, emphasizing the importance of avoiding logical fallacies that undermine soundness. It defines various types of fallacies, such as hasty generalization, post hoc reasoning, slippery slope, and appeal to authority, providing examples for each. Additionally, it includes exercises for identifying fallacies in given statements.

Uploaded by

コトガ悪Ganyu
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 PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What can you

say about this


picture?
The best kind of argument is
one that is not just VALID,
but also SOUND.
SOUND - if the argument
is valid and if the premise
and conclusion altogether
can be verified true
VALID - if the premise
logically supports the
conclusion.
Logical fallacies - they
threaten the soundness of your
argument

Fallacies are considered errors


in reasoning.
Arguments formed using
fallacies may be valid, but
they are NOT sound.
Faulty Logic
THREE
TYPES OF Unsupported
Facts
FALLACY
Emotional
Appeal
Examples
of Logical
Fallacies
HASTY GENERALIZATION
➢ Making assumptions about a whole group
or range of cases based on a sample that
is inadequate or not enough

➢ Do not make a claim and say it is true if


only based on just an evidence or two.
HASTY GENERALIZATION
Examples:
1. Librarians are quiet people
and disciplinarians.
(This is an example of stereotyping or over-
generalization.)
HASTY GENERALIZATION
Examples:
2. My roommate said her philosophy
class was hard, and the one I’m in is
hard, too. I warn you, all philosophy
classes are hard!
(Two people’s experiences are, in this
case, not enough to base a conclusion.)
POST HOC
➢ Short for “post hoc, ergo propter hoc,” a
Latin phrase meaning “after this,
therefore because of this.”
POST HOC
➢ Stressing that two events or concepts are
related in the sense that one causes
another when they’re actually not

➢ Do not assume the cause-and-effect


relationship between two concepts or
events without considering other factors.
POST HOC
➢ Example:
1. It was cloudy this morning, so Sarah
did a “sun dance” and it did not rain.

(The sun dance may not have been the


reason for the rain not coming.)
POST HOC
Example:
2. President Jones raised taxes, and then
the rate of violent crime went up. He is
responsible for the rise in crime.
(The increase in taxes might or might not be the factor
in the rising crime rates, but it was claimed as if it’s
sure and the only reason.)
SLIPPERY SLOPE
➢ Claiming a sort of chain reaction will take
place, usually ending in some dire
consequence, but there’s really not
enough evidence
➢ Do not slide all the way down or
exaggerate in picturing the consequences
attributed to a particular event.
SLIPPERY SLOPE
Example:
1. “Animal experimentation reduces our respect for
life. If we do not respect life, we are likely to be
more and more tolerant of violent acts like war and
murder. Soon our society will become a battlefield
in which everyone constantly fears for their lives. It
will be the end of civilization. To prevent this
terrible consequence, we should make animal
experimentation illegal right now.”
SLIPPERY SLOPE
Even if we believe that experimenting on
animals reduces respect for life, and loss of
respect for life makes us more tolerant of
violence, it would have been better to stop at
that point. It is too much to slide all the way
down to end of civilization.
APPEAL TO AUTHORITY
➢ Referring to known personalities to back
up a claim, but aren’t really experts
particularly in line with the issue at hand
instead of citing evidence
➢ Do not impress readers with a famous
name or a supposed authority who really
does not have an expertise on the matter
being discussed.
APPEAL TO AUTHORITY
Example:
1. We should abolish death penalty because
many respected people, such as actor Guy
Handsome, have publicly stated their
opposition to it.
(While Guy Handsome may be an authority on matters having to
do with acting, there’s no particular reason why anyone should
be moved by his political opinions – he is probably no more of an
authority on the death penalty than the person writing the paper.)
Directions: Identify the type of fallacy of
the given statements. Write the letter of
your answers on the blanks.

A. hasty generalization
B. post hoc
C. slippery slope
D. appeal to authority
1. Kathryn’s little sister was playing
with building blocks. When Kathryn
passed by, she happened to sneeze
and the blocks tumbled down. Her
sister came running to their mom
crying, telling that her sister ruined the
palace she was trying to build.
2. If I fail in English 101, I won’t be
able to graduate. If I don’t
graduate, I probably won’t be able
to get a good job, and I may very
well end up being jobless for the
rest of my life.
3. That local literary artist is a
Nobel Prize winner. His opinion
on the renovation of the old
town library cannot be
disregarded.
4. Shiela is on a vacation and decided to
visit another country. Upon arriving at the
airport, she tried asking a local about
directions on going to her accommodation.
The man ignored her. She was convinced
that the locals there are snobs to other
nationalities.
5. My grandmother doesn’t know
how to use a laptop. On the other
hand, my grandfather doesn’t use
the family computer unless I am
there to assist him. Old people are
not computer literate.
6. Mia’s older brother failed to graduate
last semester because he got addicted to
mobile gaming. Therefore, their parents
strictly limited Mia’s use of gadgets and
even refrained from buying her a cellphone
on her birthday in the fear that she will
become like her older brother.
7. If parents would go abroad to
work, their children wouldn’t be
guided well. They are going to make
decisions without close parental
advice or consent. Consistently
doing so would make their lives go
astray.
8. Our basketball team had been on
a losing streak. Ever since I wore
the new shoes my dad has given me,
we started winning every game we
participated in. They are my lucky
shoes!
9. I woke up with my stomach
aching and noticed it’s colder
than any other morning. The drop
in temperature might have
caused my stomachache.
10. If I eat chocolate today, I would eat
one again tomorrow. I would probably
allow myself to eat chocolate the next
days. Then, I would crave for more
sweets like cookies and cake and won’
be able to stop myself. My diet would
be ruined. I’ll get obese in a matter of
days.

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