The Types of Fallacies Essay Example for Free

The Types of Fallacies Essay* Argument from pity when feeling sorry for some maven drives us to a point on an unrelated matter * We redeem a job that needs doing Helen can b arly support her starving children and needs work desperately. But does Helen have the skills we need? We may not care if she does and if we dont, nobody can fault us for hiring her out of compassion.But feeling sorry for Helen may trace us to misjudge her skills or overestimate her abilities, and that is a mistake in reasoning. * Argument from envy When we find fault with a person because of envy * Well, he may have a lot of money but he certainly has bad manners would be an example of this if it is envy that prompts us to tap him. Apple Polishing Pride can lead us to exaggerate our witness accomplishments and abilities and lead to our making other irrelevant judgments* Moore recently sat on a dialog box in a criminal case involving alleged prostitution and pandering at a strip club the defendants at torney told the members of the jury it would take an unusually discerning jury to see that the law, despite its wording, wasnt really intended to apply to someone like his client. Ultimately the jury members did find with the defense, but let us hope it wasnt because the attorney flattered their ability to discern things. Guilt trip Eliciting feelings of guilt to get others to do or not do something, or to remove the view that they should or should not do it * How could you not invite Trixie to your wedding? She would never do that to you and you know she mustiness be very hurt. The remark is intended to make someone feel sorry for Trixie, but even more fundamentally it is supposed to induce a sense of guilt.* Wishful thinking when we accept or urge acceptance (or rejection) of a claim merely because it would be pleasant (or unpleasant) if it were true. Some people, for example, may mean in God simply on the basis of wishful thinking or desire for an afterlife. A smoker may ref use to acknowledge the health hazards of smoking. Weve had students who are in denial about the consequences of cutting classes.* Peer pressure argument A desire for acceptance can motivate us to accept a claim not because of its merits, but because we will gain someones approval (or will avoid having approval withdrawn). Group think when one substitutes pride of membership in a group for reason and deliberation in arriving at a position on an issue and lets include the fallacy in our list of the top ten fallacies of all time, because it is exceedingly gross. * involves ones sense of group identification, which people experience when they are part of a groupa team, a club, a school, a gang, a state, a nation, the Elks, Wal-Mart, the U. S. A. Mauritius, you name it.* Nationalism (a form of GROUP THINK) a powerful and fierce emotion that can lead to blind endorsement of a countrys policies and practices. (My country right or wrong explicitly discourages critical thinking and encoura ges blind patriotism. ) Nationalism is also invoked to reject, condemn, or silence disapproval of ones country as unpatriotic or unfaithful (and may or may not involve an element of peer pressure). If a letter writer expresses a criticism of America on the sound judgment page of your local newspaper on Monday, you can bet that by the end of the week there will be a response dismissing the criticism with the argument that if so-and-so doesnt like it here, he or she ought to move to Russia (or Cuba or Afghanistan or Iraq).* Rationalizing when we use a false pretext to satisfy our own desires or interests * Lets say Mr. Smith decides to do something really nice for his wife on her birthday and buys her a new table sawing machine. This saw wasnt cheap, he tells her. But youre going to be glad we have it, because it will keep me out in the garage and out of your stylus when youre working here in the house. * Argument from popularity when we urge someone to accept a claim (or fall pr ey to someones doing it to us) simply on the grounds that all or most or some substantial number of people (other than authorities or experts, of course) believe it * Argument from common practice trying to justify or defend an action or practice (as distinguished from an assertion or claim) on the grounds that it is common. I shouldnt get a speeding ticket because everyone drives over the limit would be an example. Everyone cheats on their taxes, so I dont see why I shouldnt would be another.* Argument from customs duty People do things because thats the way things have incessantly been done, and they believe things because thats what people have always believed * The fact that its a tradition among most American children to believe in Santa Claus, for instance, doesnt prove Santa Claus exists and the fact its also a tradition for most American parents to deceive their kids about Santa Claus doesnt necessarily mean it is okay for them to do so.