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Argument and Fallacies OBJ. III-1 Argument and Fallacy An argument often presents opinions that have a positive or negative slant An advertisement tries to persuade you to purchase a product such as a car or a service such as trash collection An editorial presents a viewpoint on a controversial issue such as violence on television or raising the speed limits A valid argument contains good logic, solid evidence, or clear reasons and examples form the reading selection A fallacy or false argument contains poor logic, weak evidence, or faulty reasons and examples from the reading selection Tips for Analyzing an Argument Identify the opinion or viewpoint on the issue. It will generally appear near the beginning of the selection, but it may also appear at the end as a conclusion Read the supporting reasons for the opinion Decide whether the reasons or examples support the argument Main Types of Fallacies Jumping to Conclusions is a claim with little proof to support it (Ford is the best!) Ad Hominem is attacking the person rather than his or her ideas (Bill dresses like a nerd!) Circular Argument is when part of an argument is used as evidence to support it (Looks are more important than talent because looks mean everything) Testimonial is when famous persons endorse a product, even though they aren’t experts (Bill Cosby loves Jell-O) Either-Or Fallacy is when there are only two sides to an issue (this or that) More Fallacies Post Hoc Fallacy: The assumption that because one thing happens before another, that one thing causes the other. The classic story is of the arrogant rooster who brags to the hens that he crows, causing the morning sun to rise. One old biddy who has been around the barnyard block challenges him. "Stay quiet tomorrow," she taunts, "and see if the morning stays dark." Poor old master rooster has to leave in disgrace the next day when the sun shines bright as ever without his cock-o-doodle-doo. False Authority: A rock star is not an expert on the right kind of car to buy no matter how good he or she may look behind the wheel. Also, a criminal is not an expert on the causes of crime. An expert is one who has broad and creditable knowledge of the subject due to study expertise in the field under discussion. Fallacies Continued Part/Whole: Proving part of an argument wrong does not necessarily discredit the entire list. Proving part of an argument valid does not validate the entire argument. If a woman can run 100 yards in 10 seconds, then she should run 1000 yards in 100 seconds? Rationalization: A fuzzy thinker can convince himself that an unpleasant outcome was due to uncontrollable external circumstances: "I rushed the paper and got an F, but it was because that teacher doesn't like me." Red Herring: Originally, a strong-smelling fish was used to fool a bloodhound by dragging the herring across the trail of scent. Some arguments can throw such distractions into the discussion and completely disrupt the course of the argument. Reasoning INDUCTIVE REASONING is the process of reasoning that a general principle is true because the special cases you’ve seen are true DEDUCTIVE REASONING is the process of concluding something must be true because it is a special case of a general principle that is know to be true. Examples: Deductive reasoning: All basketball players are tall. John is a basketball player. John is tall. Inductive reasoning: John is a senior. John is a good student. All seniors are good students.