engine of souls | forum 2

mre · Senior Member

Assignment #1: Logical Fallacies

Mihai2010 · Newbie

How does Mr. Everett want the homework by the internet can somebody tell me?

fahimmulti · Veteran Member

hey, mihai, all you have to do is answer the requirements by clicking on the reply button and answering the questions, that's all you do,

fahim

fahimmulti · Veteran Member

1.Argumentum ad numerum (argument or appeal to numbers) this is a good fallacy because if a majority of people agree with it, then it should be acceptable and that's good with debate because that can win the a debate round and if it wins the round then it is all good.
2.Argumentum ad populum (argument or appeal to the public). this is also related because if a group of people agree then it should be good for the debate.
3.Argumentum ad verecundiam (argument or appeal to authority) this is a great example because if a quote or example by a influential person is brought up and it has to be relevant to the topic then that could win that specific issue.
4.Tu quoque ("you too").

5.Straw man.

6.Slippery slope.

7.Red herring.

8.Nature, appeal to

9.Argumentum ad hominem (argument directed at the person).

10.Argumentum ad antiquitatem (the argument to antiquity or tradition

mr. everett, please dont grade this yet, i am not finished yet, i saved it simply so i can finish it later
thanks a lot

Cara · Member

Mr. Everett,
On Friday you gave us this assignment and said something about after each term giving an example of how the fallacy could be used in an energy debate, do you want us to do this or am I wrong?

Cara · Member

1.) Needling

Needling is when a debater tries to make the opponent angry without actually arguing your case. This is similar to the Straw Man Fallacy because it gets the opponent may get off topic trying to defend themselves and wasting their time on something that doesnt matter.

Example: Speaking to your partner loudly while the opponent is delivering their constructive or stating that everything your opponent is utterly wrong and their sources aren't credible.

2.) Argument by Rhetorical Question

Rhetorical questions are questions that are asked with the intention of having a specific answer immediately come to mind based on the evidence presented with out actually saying the answer.

Example: How much longer can America keeping giving enemy nations millions of dollars a year just because the United States is dependant on their oil?

3.) Dicto simpliciter

Dicto simpliciter is essentially the act of oversimplifying a concept.

Example: Oil is a stable source of energy. This is a Reductive Fallacy because they mean to say Oil is a stable source of energy now because the U.S. has been using it for year and its readily available now.

4.) Argument of the Beard

The Argue of the Beard refers to assuming to ends of the spectrum are the same since the spectrum is made up of small steps.

Example: Stating that Ethanol and Gasoline are the same because they can both be used as fuels in cars.

5.) Argument from Age

The Argument from Age fallacy is basically saying just because something is very new or very old that it is superior.

Example: Arguing that because oil is very old, or how weve been acquiring energy, it is superior to new forms of alternative energy.

6.) Appeal to Fear

Appealing to Fear is arguing that your opponent is wrong because if their statements were true there would be adverse effects.

Example: Alternative Energy sources must work because otherwise the United States will be dependant on foreign oil forever and will never become energy independent.

7.) Excluded Middle

The Excluded Middle fallacy is saying there is only one alternative to the topic at hand.

Example: Stating that the only alternative to oil are wind farms.

8.) Argument by Selective Observation

Selective observation is to accentuate to positive while not pointing out the negative. This is a good fallacy to use in debate because it brings up the good points of your side of the argument as long as the debater is prepared to address the negative points in the Cross Examination.

Example: Windmills provide a clean, renewable source of energy. While this is true it doesnt point out that they could potentially kills birds or become an eyesore.

9.) Argumentum ad misericordiam

The translation of this is literally appealing to pity which pretty much explains it.

Example: How can we keep lining the pockets of oil company CEOs while many families across America can barely keep food on the table in the winter because of high oil prices? We must find alternatives to these monstrous oil companies!

10.) Argumentum ad numerum

This fallacy refers to trying to prove a point by stating how many people think its true. The problem is that even if 90% of a surveyed population thinks a given statement it true they could be wrong.

Example: About 60% of Americans think drilling in ANWR is wrong. (While this fact is just used to make a point, if a fact similar to this was used in a debate it would be fallacious.)

aww

fahimmulti · Veteran Member

1.Argumentum ad numerum (argument or appeal to numbers) this is a good fallacy because if a majority of people agree with it, then it should be acceptable and that's good with debate because that can win the a debate round and if it wins the round then it is all good.
2.Argumentum ad populum (argument or appeal to the public). this is also related because if a group of people agree then it should be good for the debate.
3.Argumentum ad verecundiam (argument or appeal to authority) this is a great example because if a quote or example by a influential person is brought up and it has to be relevant to the topic then that could win that specific issue.
4.Tu quoque ("you too"). this one is states that one's opponent has made an error when the debator is defending the error for his or her own sake and once again puzzles and annoyes the opponent into finally losing the round or totally frustrating him or her so they can quit by not trying their best.

5.Straw man. this tactic can possibly anger the opponent and may confuse him or herfor a short while (which is what is needed) because the debator is blaming the opponent of stating something which he or she had not stated, so the accusation is false but useful so they should make use of it.

6.Slippery slope. this is a powerful weapon becuase with this, the debator can discredit or belittle the opponent's move or proposal because it has a negative side to it which will do more bad than good and it will lead to nothing but disaster.

7.Red herring. this is a very useful tool because the debator can distract his or her opponent by introducing another point in the debate which can get at the opponent and if lucky, it could confuse and misplace him or her.

8.Poisoning The Wells: this move is useful when one makes one's opponent small and unimportant by saying that he or she needs to check their sources because their information is not accurate.

9.Argument By Scenario: this can be used while tying up another example in this that probably has not relevance in topic but has the same theme and if it works for the debator then he or she might as well use it to their advantage.

10.Argument By Question: this is also a good one because when the debator throws a random question in there that has relevance but it is immediate, this confuses the opponent and the question does not have a total,complete answer. so if the opponent does not answer it then it may make him or her look weak but if he or she does then it will be inaccurate or fishy so either way the debator has a point.

to cara:

do you think these examples has helped you so far?

mr. everett, i was going to answer someone else's question but for now no one has a question.

Mihai2010 · Newbie

Appeal to Authority: President Bush said that the solar panels installed at the Kennebunkport family home were most inefficient, therefore all of us should abandon any idea of using solar panels.

Equivocation: Harnessing the sun's power is a very appealing concept for heating one's home; however the sun gets very hot and its heat is difficult to control.

Fallacy of Composition: The people of Chernobyl suffered ill effects from the nuclear accident in their community so all the inhabitants of Russia will endure disastrous results from nuclear power.

Slippery Slope Fallacy: If we promote electric auto production and charging stations for electric vehicles, then gas stations will soon go out of business.

Arguement by Prestigious Jargon: Nuclear proliferation will only exacerbate our fears of total conflagration.

Nonsequitur: Americans do no like to switch back and forth between two different kinds of energy therefore hybrid cars will never be popular.

Galileo Fallacy: If I allow authorites to install windmills in front of my house at the beach, they will block my view and I won't get to see the beautiful ocean.

Appeal to a Widespread Belief: Americans approve of lowering the thermostat to conserve energy; therefore, we don't need much heat for our homes.

Generalization: According to recent surveys analysts say that people are continuing to purchase Hummers, SUV's, and Pickup Trucks; therefore fuel economy vehicles don't have a chance.

False Cause: Houston, Texas recently was hard hit by Hurricane Ike; therefore, people in Texas are not installing as many windmills as they did last year.

Mihai Tripp

mre · Senior Member

Cara wrote:

Mr. Everett,
On Friday you gave us this assignment and said something about after each term giving an example of how the fallacy could be used in an energy debate, do you want us to do this or am I wrong?

No, you are right.

Cara · Member

Fahim, I think these examples have helped me because they made me understand the actual fallacy better, also its shown me how these could be useful in an actual debate.

ZachB · Member

1.)
Ad Hominem
When you attack the person instead of the idea.

2.)
Argumentum ad verecundiam
To cite a person that doesn't have a degree in the field your trying to prove true

3.)
Post hoc ergo propter hoc
When you assum that something happen cause a reaction to vreate another thing, only because it happen before.

4.)
Slippery Slope
When you place in a set of policies, those set of policies would set a domino affect and create new policies to keep that one in affect

5.)
Argument By Pigheadedness
refusing to accept something after everyone else thinks it is well enough proved

6.)
Argument By Poetic Language
When your arument sounds good than it must be right

7.)
Straw man
To put words in the other debaters mouth, claiming they argued something they didn't argued.

8.)
Red herring
To introduce arguments and statements that are irrelevant to distract the other debater from the question at hand

9.)
Failure To State
to make enough attacks, and ask enough questions, you may never have to actually define your own position

10.)
Complex question.
Asumming something is true just on its contruction of the statement