Logical Fallacies And You!

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Logical Fallacies and You!
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 Ramuh.Vinvv
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By Ramuh.Vinvv 2011-06-13 08:05:00
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So I was stumbling around on http://www.stumbleupon.com and I came upon this: taxonomy of logical fallacies

I think I'm just going to cover it(paraphrasing pretty much, each of the items on the link provided direct you to a definition and explanation of the term) step by step, maybe throw in a few examples. Welp, here's the first one.

Logical Fallacy-

Logical fallacies are subdivided into three categories, I'll cover the one that doesn't branch out further first.

Loaded Question-

I'm going to try to just cover this over time because it's a pretty large set of items.
edit-6/16/11-
If you follow the thread I went through each of the primary informal fallacies, here is a comprehensive list full of links for each subcategory.
I plan to change this further so that I will include all the previously mentioned fallacies that did not contain sub-fallacies.
Either way if you want to see a more elaborated version of my input for this you can follow the thread to see each fallacy I have mentioned so far, while looking through the thread you can also see many of these fallacies in action.

informal fallacy continuation----EXPANDED EDITION-----
___________________
One Sidedness
Quoting Out of Context
Ambiguity
Amphiboly

Scope Fallacy
Accent
Equivocation
Redefinition
Red Herring
Straw Man
Genetic Fallacy
Appeal to Misleading Authority
Appeal to Celebrity
Etymological Fallacy
Ad Hominem
Poisoning the Well
Bandwagon Fallacy
Two Wrongs Make a Right
Tu Quoque
Appeal to Consequences

Appeal to Force
Wishful Thinking
Emotional Appeal
Guilt by Association
The Hitler Card
Non Causa Pro Causa
*** Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc
Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc
Regression Fallacy
Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy
Vagueness
Fake Precision
Slippery Slope
Appeal to Nature
Begging the Question
Loaded Words
Question-begging Analogy
Weak Analogy
Unrepresentative Sample
Hasty Generalization
Anecdotal Fallacy
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 Phoenix.Wombie
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By Phoenix.Wombie 2011-06-13 08:27:30
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But if we know what these terms actually mean, then how can we in good conscience use them against everyone who disagrees with us?
 Ramuh.Vinvv
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By Ramuh.Vinvv 2011-06-13 08:47:55
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Phoenix.Wombie said:
But if we know what these terms actually mean, then how can we in good conscience use them against everyone who disagrees with us?
I personally don't believe that we can actively control this type of know-how at all times. Do you practice perfect grammar in all instances? I.E. if you accidentally use it.
As for doing it on purpose?
That's what trollingsatire is essentially.

Google "38 ways to win an argument", satire at it's finest that illuminates certain methods of discussion.
Anyhoo.

Informal Fallacy-
Quote:
Typically, informal fallacies occur in non-deductive reasoning, which relies on content as well as form for cogency. Also, because content is important in informal fallacies, there are arguments with the form of the fallacy which are cogent. For this reason, when forms for informal fallacies are given, this is for identification purposes only, that is, one cannot tell from the form alone that an instance is fallacious. Rather, the forms will help to differentiate between distinct types of informal fallacy.
I've decided to just briefly mention each subcategory specifically to better package this. Hell I've probably used a lot of these.

Accident-
Quote:
Consider the generalization "birds can fly" from the example. Now, it isn't true that all birds can fly, since there are flightless birds. "Some birds can fly" and "many birds can fly" are too weak. "Most birds can fly" is closer to what we mean, but in this case "birds can fly" is a "rule of thumb", and the fallacy of Accident is a fallacy involving reasoning with rules of thumb.
Ambiguity-
Quote:
ex:President Clinton should have been impeached only if he had sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky.
He did not have sexual relations with Lewinsky.
Therefore, he should not have been impeached.
The ambiguity came from the phrase "sexual relations", which has a broad and narrow meaning:
A sexual relationship
Sexual intercourse
As he later admitted, President Clinton had had "sexual relations" with Miss Lewinsky in the broad sense (1), and he was denying it only in the narrow sense (2).

Appeal to Ignorance-
Quote:
This one you most commonly see used when arguing the existence of God, Christ, Bigfoot...etc
EX1
There is no evidence against p.
Therefore, p.
EX2
There is no evidence for p.
Therefore, not-p.
However, there are a few types of reasoning which resemble the fallacy of Appeal to Ignorance, and need to be distinguished from it
Begging the Question(can also be interpreted as circular reasoning or "what many Christians do")-
Quote:
The phrase "begging the question", or "petitio principii" in Latin, refers to the "question" in a formal debate—that is, the issue being debated. In such a debate, one side may ask the other side to concede certain points in order to speed up the proceedings. To "beg" the question is to ask that the very point at issue be conceded, which is of course illegitimate.
Misrule of Thumb:
Begging the question is a fallacious form of argument.
Therefore, to beg the question is to argue fallaciously.
Ex:

First of all, not all circular reasoning is fallacious.
 Bismarck.Elanabelle
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By Bismarck.Elanabelle 2011-06-13 09:01:45
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Logical fallacies are (unfortunately) used all over the place in society.

Politicians used them frivolously to justify their political stances and prejudices. News media (especially Megan Kelly on FauxNews) spit them out left and right. Religious doctrine is chock full of them.

So, how can we expect everyday people to be able to avoid using logical fallacies?

I approve (in general) of people speaking up to denounce logical fallacies. Unfortunately, the way American culture tends to be, many everyday people are more likely to BELIEVE in the logical fallacy, rather than believe the person debunking it. I've not figured out exactly why this happens. I suspect it's because often the fallacy is "simpler" to understand, while the rational/logical explanation is often (ironically) more difficult to comprehend. And let's face it, in general, people are not bright, and Americans prefer the sensational over the rational.

That said, it's equally irritating when some internet junkies reply to everything by stating it's some type of fallacy. Not every analogy is a fallacy. Not every comparison is a fallacy. Not every hypothetical situation is a fallacy. Not every disagreement or retort is a fallacy.
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 Ramuh.Vinvv
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By Ramuh.Vinvv 2011-06-13 09:06:07
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Bismarck.Elanabelle said:
Logical fallacies are (unfortunately) used all over the place in society.

Politicians used them frivolously to justify their political stances and prejudices. News media (especially Megan Kelly on FauxNews) spit them out left and right. Religious doctrine is chock full of them.

So, how can we expect everyday people to be able to avoid using logical fallacies?

I approve (in general) of people speaking up to denounce logical fallacies. Unfortunately, the way American culture tends to be, many everyday people are more likely to BELIEVE in the logical fallacy, rather than believe the person debunking it. I've not figured out exactly why this happens. I suspect it's because often the fallacy is "simpler" to understand, while the rational/logical explanation is often (ironically) more difficult to comprehend. And let's face it, in general, people are not bright, and Americans prefer the sensational over the rational.

That said, it's equally irritating when some internet junkies reply to everything by stating it's some type of fallacy. Not every analogy is a fallacy. Not every comparison is a fallacy. Not every hypothetical situation is a fallacy. Not every disagreement or retort is a fallacy.
I completely agree.
If you identify something as a fallacy you have to back it up IMO, makes me want to dig up the post from a while back, someone replied to your post with a link to "the strawman fallacy" when it wasn't applicable.
quite amusing IMO.
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 Gilgamesh.Ceolwulf
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By Gilgamesh.Ceolwulf 2011-06-13 09:10:27
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http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/
 Ramuh.Vinvv
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By Ramuh.Vinvv 2011-06-13 09:21:10
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Gilgamesh.Ceolwulf said:
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/
(click to enlarge)
 Gilgamesh.Ceolwulf
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By Gilgamesh.Ceolwulf 2011-06-13 09:23:35
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Ramuh.Vinvv said:
Gilgamesh.Ceolwulf said:
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/
(click to enlarge)
That... that is painful to look at.
 Ramuh.Vinvv
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By Ramuh.Vinvv 2011-06-13 09:35:50
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Gilgamesh.Ceolwulf said:
Ramuh.Vinvv said:
Gilgamesh.Ceolwulf said:
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/
(click to enlarge)
That... that is painful to look at.
Needs more green.
 Bismarck.Elanabelle
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By Bismarck.Elanabelle 2011-06-13 09:43:37
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Ramuh.Vinvv said:

I completely agree.
If you identify something as a fallacy you have to back it up IMO, makes me want to dig up the post from a while back, someone replied to your post with a link to "the strawman fallacy" when it wasn't applicable.
quite amusing IMO.

I think you're referring to this .

Oddly enough, Coelwulf seems to have resurfaced in this thread. He must really have a hard-on for fallacies?
 Gilgamesh.Ceolwulf
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By Gilgamesh.Ceolwulf 2011-06-13 09:51:00
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Bismarck.Elanabelle said:
Ramuh.Vinvv said:

I completely agree.
If you identify something as a fallacy you have to back it up IMO, makes me want to dig up the post from a while back, someone replied to your post with a link to "the strawman fallacy" when it wasn't applicable.
quite amusing IMO.

I think you're referring to this .

Oddly enough, Coelwulf seems to have resurfaced in this thread. He must really have a hard-on for fallacies?
Did you ever respond to my last post? And I backed up my comment that your little quip at the end was a straw man.

Interesting that you brought that thread up, though; I completely forgot about it until now. Maybe I don't have a hard-on for fallacies... maybe you have a hard-on for me? ;)
 Bismarck.Elanabelle
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By Bismarck.Elanabelle 2011-06-13 09:54:43
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Gilgamesh.Ceolwulf said:

Did you ever respond to my last post? And I backed up my comment that your little quip at the end was a straw man.

Interesting that you brought that thread up, though; I completely forgot about it until now. Maybe I don't have a hard-on for fallacies... maybe you have a hard-on for me? ;)

No, I didn't.
No, it wasn't.
Vinvv brought it up.
You have a short memory.
No, definitely not.
 Gilgamesh.Ceolwulf
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By Gilgamesh.Ceolwulf 2011-06-13 10:03:08
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Bismarck.Elanabelle said:
No, I didn't.
No, it wasn't.
Vinvv brought it up.
You have a short memory.
No, definitely not.
You sure it wasn't? Because no one was talking about not having fewer drug users. What you said was pretty much the definition of a straw man.

And I get into so many Internet debates I barely remember them a couple days later.

 
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 Ramuh.Vinvv
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By Ramuh.Vinvv 2011-06-13 10:16:15
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Gilgamesh.Ceolwulf said:
Bismarck.Elanabelle said:
No, I didn't.
No, it wasn't.
Vinvv brought it up.
You have a short memory.
No, definitely not.
You sure it wasn't? Because no one was talking about not having fewer drug users. What you said was pretty much the definition of a straw man.

And I get into so many Internet debates I barely remember them a couple days later.

In Elana's defense he used quite a good deal of situational language.

The sentence in question, lets' dissect it.

Quote:
It floors me that anyone in politics, no matter how liberal, could fail to see that fewer drug users in America would be a good thing for the country.

Essentially the argument is that "Fewer drug users in America would be a good thing for the country."

the straw man could be perceived as being "it floors me that anyone in politics, no matter how liberal"

Bismarck.Josiahfk said:
/sigh... -_-

but OP you felt this subject needed more light due to what? what spurred on your desire for awareness on this
I am on a quest given to me by God, the holy one.
He spelled it out to me in my cheerios.
Why did you feel like posting this reply?
Curiosity maybe?
 Fairy.Spence
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By Fairy.Spence 2011-06-13 10:21:13
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I actually find this interesting, even if I don't understand all of it.
 Ramuh.Vinvv
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By Ramuh.Vinvv 2011-06-13 10:23:21
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Fairy.Spence said:
I actually find this interesting, even if I don't understand all of it.
We can chat about what is misunderstood if you wish. :D
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By Fairy.Spence 2011-06-13 10:24:26
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Well, I guess it's more spotting them than anything else.

I've just been browsing the links some.
 Gilgamesh.Ceolwulf
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By Gilgamesh.Ceolwulf 2011-06-13 10:27:32
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Ramuh.Vinvv said:
In Elana's defense he used quite a good deal of situational language.

The sentence in question, lets' dissect it.

Quote:
It floors me that anyone in politics, no matter how liberal, could fail to see that fewer drug users in America would be a good thing for the country.

Essentially the argument is that "Fewer drug users in America would be a good thing for the country."

the straw man could be perceived as being "it floors me that anyone in politics, no matter how liberal"
The straw man is the part where s/he says that his/her opponents are advocating for more drug users. S/he then attacks it with "It floors me...". It's a complete misrepresentation.
 
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 Ramuh.Vinvv
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By Ramuh.Vinvv 2011-06-13 10:34:30
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Bismarck.Josiahfk said:
Ramuh.Vinvv said:
Bismarck.Josiahfk said:
/sigh... -_-

but OP you felt this subject needed more light due to what? what spurred on your desire for awareness on this
I am on a quest given to me by God, the holy one.
He spelled it out to me in my cheerios.
Why did you feel like posting this reply?
Curiosity maybe?
if you don't know or don't want to explain your actions man no worries. and yes me asking a question was curiosity /shockingly
Doing threads in an almost "report" format helps me remember things and learn.
I do the same thing occasionally on facebook but I find this place is more receptive to it.
 Ramuh.Vinvv
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By Ramuh.Vinvv 2011-06-13 10:35:19
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Gilgamesh.Ceolwulf said:
Ramuh.Vinvv said:
In Elana's defense he used quite a good deal of situational language.

The sentence in question, lets' dissect it.

Quote:
It floors me that anyone in politics, no matter how liberal, could fail to see that fewer drug users in America would be a good thing for the country.

Essentially the argument is that "Fewer drug users in America would be a good thing for the country."

the straw man could be perceived as being "it floors me that anyone in politics, no matter how liberal"
The straw man is the part where s/he says that his/her opponents are advocating for more drug users. S/he then attacks it with "It floors me...". It's a complete misrepresentation.
Where was that said?
I would have made an argument against what Elana said if I was able to think of a concise set of reasoning for it, but the words are pretty specifically vague in not identifying anyone spare the brief mention of liberal.
You can easily trash talk the other side by using your audiences ability to misinterpret what you say without actually saying anything at all, politicians do it all the time.
 
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 Ramuh.Vinvv
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By Ramuh.Vinvv 2011-06-13 10:39:31
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Lakshmi.Mabrook said:
Why y'all gotta use big words 8\
small wang gang represent!
 
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 Gilgamesh.Ceolwulf
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By Gilgamesh.Ceolwulf 2011-06-13 10:41:11
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Ramuh.Vinvv said:
Where was that said?
It's the "could fail to see that fewer drug users..." part. S/he's saying that if someone is against this, they're against reducing the amount of drug users.
 
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 Ramuh.Vinvv
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By Ramuh.Vinvv 2011-06-13 10:58:17
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Gilgamesh.Ceolwulf said:
Ramuh.Vinvv said:
Where was that said?
It's the "could fail to see that fewer drug users..." part. S/he's saying that if someone is against this, they're against reducing the amount of drug users.
I'd like to see Elana's rebuttal to this.
 Cerberus.Eugene
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By Cerberus.Eugene 2011-06-13 11:01:58
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Straw man seems to be a favorite internet fallacy
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 Ramuh.Vinvv
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By Ramuh.Vinvv 2011-06-13 12:43:45
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Continuing on Informal Fallacies:

Black-or-White Fallacy- Alias:
Bifurcation
Black-and-White Fallacy
Either/Or Fallacy
False Dilemma

Ex.
Quote:
Gerda Reith is convinced that superstition can be a positive force. "It gives you a sense of control by making you think you can work out what's going to happen next," she says. "And it also makes you feel lucky. And to take a risk or to enter into a chancy situation, you really have to believe in your own luck. In that sense, it's a very useful way of thinking, because the alternative is fatalism, which is to say, 'Oh, there's nothing I can do.' At least superstition makes people do things."

The problem with this fallacy is not formal, but is found in its disjunctive—"either-or"—premiss: an argument of this type is fallacious when its disjunctive premiss is fallaciously supported.

The Black-or-White Fallacy, like Begging the Question, is a validating form of argument. For example, some instances have the validating form:

Simple Constructive Dilemma:

Either p or q.
If p then r.
If q then r.
Therefore, r.

For this reason, this fallacy is sometimes called "false" or "bogus" dilemma. However, these names are misleading, since not all instances have the form of a dilemma; some instead take the following, also validating form:

Disjunctive Syllogism:

Either p or q.
Not-p.
Therefore, q.

Analysis of the Example:

Fatalism is not the alternative to superstition; it is an alternative. Superstition involves acting in ways that are ineffective, whereas fatalism involves failing to act even in situations in which our efforts can be effective. Fortunately, there are other alternatives, such as recognizing that there are some things we can control and other things we cannot, and only acting in the first case.
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