By Ryan Davis and Nick Houska

Fallacies

Fallacies- are defects in an argument that cause an argument to be invalid, unsound or weak Example: Hasty Generalization- when

your general observations are later proved wrong “When educational standards are lowered,

the quality of shows on television worsens. So if we see television getting worse over the next few years, we'll know that our educational standards are still falling.”

Ad Hominem Arguments

Ad hominem- is “against the man” Ad hominem are arguments made

against the person, rather than against the person’s arguments Example:

Person A: …as you can see, it just makes sense for us to protect the environment.”

Person B: Just look at that tie, it is hideous, are you really going to listen to a person who can’t even dress themselves properly?

Ad Hominem Continued…

Ad hominem happens in two steps -an attack against the character of

person making the claim, her circumstances, or her actions is made

-this attack is taken to be evidence against the claim or argument the person in question is making

Ad Hominem Setup

Person A makes claim X. Person B makes an attack on person A. Therefore A's claim is false.

Example: Bill: "I believe that abortion is morally wrong." Dave: "Of course you would say that, you're a priest." Bill: "What about the arguments I gave to support my position?" Dave: "Those don't count. Like I said, you're a priest, so you have to say that abortion is wrong. Further, you are just a lackey to the Pope, so I can't believe what you say."

Appeals to Opinion vs. Appeals to Tradition Appeals to opinions suggest that the

argument is true because we everyone thinks so.

Politicians often rely on opinion polls to help them make decisions.

Appeals to Opinion

This fallacy assumes that because many people believe in something, it must be correct or the best way something can be done.

This is not necessarily true: Columbus – earth not flat Roger Bannister – 4 minute mile

Appeals to Tradition

Appeals to tradition is when you argue that this is the way we have always done it.

This is known as the status quo. To maintain the status quo is to keep the things the way they currently are.

Appeals to tradition shouldn’t be relied on because times are changing. Examples- Technology and Knowledge

Begging the Question

Begging the question is a fallacy and a rhetorical device

Begging the question uses circular reasoning Circular reasoning is an attempt to

support a statement by simply repeating the statement in different or stronger terms. 

Begging the Question continued… Example Bill: "God must exist."

Jill: "How do you know." Bill: "Because the Bible says so." Jill: "Why should I believe the Bible?" Bill: "Because the Bible was written by God.“

Key point: You need to prove an assumption like this before you or your audience accepts it.

Questions

1. What is a fallacy? What are some examples of fallacies?

2. Define the term Status Quo.

3. Why is it bad to use appeals to opinion and tradition? Why might politicians use them anyway?