I think I found a page from the Republican handbook: Examples of Common Fallacies The best way to avoid logical fallacies in your writing and to avoid being misguided by them in your reading is to learn how to spot them in an argument. Below is a list of some common material fallacies with examples. It can be helpful to try to spot them in TV advertisements and billboards, especially political campaign ads. 1. Hasty Generalization: A general conclusion that a certain condition is always true based on one instance or observation. Example: Johns iPhone broke after two weeks, so there must be something faulty in the general manufacture of iPhones. 2. Ad Hominem (Latin for To the man): Attacking perceived faults of the person rather than his or her argument, resorting to name-calling and labeling. People generally resort to this tactic when they dont have a logical counter-argument. Example: You cant believe that president Smith is going to lower taxes. Hes a pathological liar! 3. Appeal to Ignorance: Supporting a claim merely because there is no proof that its wrong. Example: Theres no concrete evidence that pigs cant fly, so they must be able to fly. 4. Appeal to Faith: Relying on faith without solid evidence to support a claim. Example: Narnia is a real place because I really believe it exists, even though Ive never seen it. I just have faith that its real! 5. Appeal to Tradition: Pointing to traditional practices/whats always been done in the past to support a claim. Example: Pointing to American slavery to justify racial discrimination. (This is similar to the two wrongs make a right fallacy, which well talk about shortly). 6. False Authority: Relying on the evidence of a so-called expert. This is a popular tactic in advertising with celebrity endorsements because we look up to and trust the judgment of celebrities, often assuming that because theyre wealthy, they have the best of everything. Example: David Beckham signs autographs with Sharpies, so obviously Sharpie is the most reliable pen on the market. 7. Argumentum Ad Baculum: The appeal to fear or a threat. Think email chain letters here. Example: If you dont send this to ten people right now, aliens are going to rob your bank account! 8. Bandwagon Fallacy: The belief that an argument is valid because a majority of people accept it. Example: Everyone I know is voting for John Smoot, so hes obviously the best choice for president. 9. Slippery Slope: The belief that a change in procedure will have drastic, adverse consequences. Example: If students are given 10 minutes rather than 5 minutes between classes, theyll just start skipping class altogether. 10. Two Wrongs Make a Right: Justifying your actions by accusing someone else of doing the same thing. Example: Missing curfew and justifying it with the argument that your sister does it all the time
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 12:10:55 +0000
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