Difference between revisions of "Logical Fallacies"
Line 20: | Line 20: | ||
* Straw Man | * Straw Man | ||
− | Example: Flat earthers think the earth is a disc flying through space, but why would the earth be a different shape than other planets? | + | Example: "Flat earthers think the earth is a disc flying through space, but why would the earth be a different shape than other planets?" |
+ | |||
* Missing the Point (Ignoratio Elenchi) | * Missing the Point (Ignoratio Elenchi) | ||
Line 33: | Line 34: | ||
* Slippery Slope | * Slippery Slope | ||
* Weak Analogy | * Weak Analogy | ||
+ | |||
* Begging the Question (Petitio Principii) | * Begging the Question (Petitio Principii) | ||
+ | Example: "Using the given earth radius of 3959 miles, I can easily show you that we live on a globe." | ||
+ | |||
* Complex Question | * Complex Question | ||
* False Dichotomy | * False Dichotomy |
Revision as of 22:45, 16 August 2020
One of the reasons that an unverifiable globe model with impossible dimensions has been able to be perpetuated for so long is that there is a serious lack of training in systematic logic. At one time, formal training in logic was an accepted and important part of classical education. It should surprise no one familiar with current world affairs that it is advantageous for those hoarding power and resources to keep the masses uneducated and their minds untrained. By learning about and pointing out the errors in logic known as logical fallacies when they occur, we can retrain our minds to think more logically and clearly about the nature of our world and other important issues.
Informal Fallacies
Informal fallacies can be determined only through analyzing the content of the argument, as opposed to formal fallacies which relate to the form of the argument.
- Appeal to Force (Argumentum ad Baculum: Appeal to the "Stick")
- Appeal to Pity (Argumentum as Misericordiam)
- Appeal to the People (Argumentum ad Populum)
Example: "Of course we live on a globe. 99% of the people understand this."
- Argument Against the Person (Argumentum ad Hominem)
Example: "Those who think the earth is flat must have never have completed elementary school."
- Dicto Simpliciter
- Straw Man
Example: "Flat earthers think the earth is a disc flying through space, but why would the earth be a different shape than other planets?"
- Missing the Point (Ignoratio Elenchi)
- Red Herring
Example: "You say the earth measures flat. What about gravity?"
- Appeal to Authority (Argumentum as Verecundiam)
- Appeal to Ignorance (Argumentum as Ignorantiam)
- Hasty Generalization (Converse Accident)
- False Cause
- Slippery Slope
- Weak Analogy
- Begging the Question (Petitio Principii)
Example: "Using the given earth radius of 3959 miles, I can easily show you that we live on a globe."
- Complex Question
- False Dichotomy
- Suppressed Evidence
- Equivocation
- Amphiboly
- Composition
- Division
References
Hurley, Patrick J. A Concise Introduction to Logic. Wadsworth, 1988.