Transcript of Critical Thinking: Fallacies of Vagueness
- 1. Chapter 13 Fallacies of Vagueness
- 2. Vague = imprecise Unclear due to lack of precision
WokinghamLibraries CC0 Public Domain
- 3. Vague = imprecise Unclear due to lack of precision
WokinghamLibraries CC0 Public Domain
- 4. Vague = imprecise Unclear due to lack of precision Imprecise
WokinghamLibraries CC0 Public Domain
- 5. The man is bald. Not vague. He is clearly bald.
Helpaeatcontu CC0 Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
Unported
- 6. The man is not bald.Not vague. He is clearly NOT bald.
Airwolfhound Flicker
- 7. The man is bald. He is neither clearly bald nor clearly not
bald. This is a borderline case. ben-the-geek Flicker
- 8. Fallacies of Vagueness: Exploit borderline cases in the use
of imprecise language like bald Borderline Case Clear Clear
ben-the-geek Flicker Airwolfhound FlickerHelpaeatcontu CC0 Creative
Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
- 9. Vague Language is common Borderline CaseClear Clear Fast Big
Rich Long Heavy Easy Slow Small Poor Short Light Hard
- 10. Four Fallacies of Vagueness 1. Argument from the Heaps
Simon A. Eugster GNU Free Documentation License
- 11. Four Fallacies of Vagueness 2. Conceptual Slippery Slope
@CanStock Photo
- 12. Four Fallacies of Vagueness 3. Fairness Slippery Slope
Crimfants Flicker CC BY-SA 2.0
- 13. Four Fallacies of Vagueness 4. Causal Slippery Slope GNU
Free Documentation License OpenIcons : CC0 Public Domain
- 14. 1. Argument from the Heaps Simon A. Eugster GNU Free
Documentation License
- 15. Argument from the Heaps eap of sand by adding one grain to
an amount that i Ivan Aleksic Flicker
- 16. Argument from the Heap a heap of sand by adding one grain
to an amount th Peter Craven Sand Stockpiles CC BY 2.0
- 17. Argument from the Heap eap of sand by adding one grain to
an amount that i
- 18. Argument from the Heap 1) For any number, n, if someone
with n dollars is not rich, then someone with n + 1 dollars is not
rich. 2) Someone with only one dollar is not rich. 3) If someone
with only one dollar is not rich, then someone with only two
dollars is not rich. 4) Someone with only two dollars is not rich.
(1, 2) and so on 999,999,999) Some one with one hundred million
dollars is not rich (1, 999,999,998).
- 19. 2. Conceptual Slippery Slope @CanStock Photo
- 20. Conceptual Slippery Slope pposite end of a conceptual
spectrum do not differ i @CanStock Photo
- 21. Conceptual Slippery Slope 1) We should not draw a
distinction between things that are not significantly different. 2)
If A is not significantly different from B, and B is not
significantly different from C, then A is not significantly
different from C. Depends upon the following principles:
- 22. Conceptual Slippery Slope ferent than a blastocyst, which
is not much different @CanStock Photo
- 23. 3. Fairness Slippery Slope Crimfants Flicker CC BY-SA
2.0
- 24. Fairness Slippery Slope ogic: Drawing a line between
similar cases is unfair binu kumar Flicker
- 25. Fairness Slippery Slope Argues that drawing a line between
similar cases is unfair. Yet we have to draw the line
somewhere.Pass Fail 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 6059
- 26. Fairness Slippery Slope Yetwe have to draw the line
somewhere.
- 27. 4. Causal Slippery Slope OpenIcons : CC0 Public Domain
- 28. 4. Causal Slippery Slope Logic: If A happens, that will
lead to D, which is pure evil, so we cant allow A.
- 29. 4. Causal Slippery Slope 1. If gay marriage is legalized,
then polygamy will be legalized. 2. If polygamy is legalized, then
incest will be legalized. 3. If incest is legalized, then
bestiality will be legalized. 4. If we legalize bestiality we are
all going to hell. 5. We cannot legalize gay marriage. (1-4)
OpenIcons : CC0 Public Domain
- 30. 4. Causal Slippery Slope This is usuallythough not alwaysa
fallacious argument. 1. Are the effects really bad? 2. Are the
effects likely to occur? 3. Do the dangers outweigh the benefits?
OpenIcons : CC0 Public Domain
- 31. What is a fallacy of vagueness? WokinghamLibraries CC0
Public Domain
- 32. What is a fallacy of vagueness? Imprecise
WokinghamLibraries CC0 Public Domain
- 33. What is an Argument from the Heaps? Ivan Aleksic
Flicker
- 34. Argument from the Heaps: Making a small change does not add
up to a qualitative difference. E.g., adding a grain of sand to an
amount that is not a heap, will not make it a heap. Ivan Aleksic
Flicker
- 35. What is a Conceptual Slippery Slope? @CanStock Photo
- 36. Conceptual Slippery Slope: Things that are at opposite ends
of a conceptual spectrum are the same. E.g., A is not much
different than B, which is not much different than C, which is not
much different than D, which is not much different than E, so A is
the same as E. @CanStock Photo
- 37. Heaps or Slippery Slope? Brutus has a full bowl of food.
Even if he eats a piece of his food, it will still be full, so his
bowl of food will never be empty. Argument from Heaps Conceptual
Slippery SlopeNeither. Ivan Aleksic Flicker Sh4rp_i Dog Food 2
Flicker @CanStock Photo
- 38. Good! It is an Argument from the Heaps! Ivan Aleksic
Flicker
- 39. Argument from the Heaps: If its not empty, taking away one
piece of food wont make it empty! Ivan Aleksic Flicker
- 40. What is a Fairness Slippery Slope? Crimfants Flicker CC
BY-SA 2.0
- 41. Fairness Slippery Slope: w an arbitrary line to
differentiate two things that are binu kumar Flicker
- 42. What is a Causal Slippery Slope? OpenIcons : CC0 Public
Domain
- 43. 4. Causal Slippery Slope If we allow X to happen, it will
cause something bad to happen, which will cause something worse to
happen, which will cause something evil to happen, so we cant allow
X to happen. OpenIcons : CC0 Public Domain
- 44. Heaps or Slippery Slope? Claire finished eating thirty
minutes ago and I finished twenty-six minutes ago. Its almost the
same. Why cant I swim now, too? Fairness Slippery Slope Causal
Slippery Slope Neither. binu kumar Flicker OpenIcons : CC0 Public
Domain Michael Williams WikiMedia Commons
- 45. Yes! Its a Fairness Slippery Slope. Crimfants Flicker CC
BY-SA 2.0
- 46. A Fairness Slippery Slope argues that drawing an arbitrary
line between two similar things is unfair. Crimfants Flicker CC
BY-SA 2.0