Fallacies we have covered
Strawman: Twisting/changing the argument into something easier to win against (avoiding the reason)
Slippery Slope: One thing leads to another which leads to a negative outcome Bandwagon: Agreeing (or disagreeing) with something just because of popularity |
Ad Hominem: Verbally attacking the other speaker instead of addressing the point/idea.
Circular Reasoning: Instead of providing support for a claim, you restate the claim in different words. Appeal to False Authority: Using a person/source that is not credible or using someone as a source who is not an expert in that field of study. |
False Dilemma
The false dilemma is when two choices are presented despite other choices exist. This is considered the "black-white" thinking. This fallacy is characterized by "either this or that" type language.
"You're either with us, or you're against us." "If you don't subscribe, you're not a loyal fan." "Would you rather..." Each of the above are False Dilemma. They put the listener or viewer in the position to choose between a forced "wrong" answer and a forced "correct" answer, despite there actually being more than 2 choices. |
Hasty Generalization
Hasty generalization is when you draw a conclusion with minimal information. Hasty generalization can be a dangerous fallacy, and it is important that you recognize this one.
"The apple I tasted was terrible! All apples are bad!" "All homework is very easy" "All homework is very hard" "That celebrity is always making videos about games. That is their only hobby." Hasty generalization can be dangerous if we do not recognize it. We need to keep in mind that we do not generalize people or things based on a small number of things happening. |
Red Herring
The Red Herring is all about distracting and redirecting the argument. It is similar to the strawman, but the Red Herring changes the argument/topic completely.
"The mother of a young child tells him to go to bed, but he then says he is hungry, needs to use the restroom, or asks questions to distract mom from the bedtime." "Johnny is in trouble, he lost his phone and his mom is unhappy. Johnny mentions how he aced his math test and how much he has learned in class." Understanding when someone uses the red herring is important because you will be able to tell when they are avoiding the issue at hand. Funnily enough, this fallacy is good for mystery and building suspense in fiction writing. |
Identify the Fallacy
Identify which fallacy is in the sentence below.
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As a Reminder we went over:
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- My dog is able to do tricks better than my cat, so all dogs must be better at tricks.
- You can look cool in our clothes, or you can look like a loser.
- Bob: “I’m disappointed you broke your promise and didn’t help me move.”
John: “Oh yeah? What about that time you didn’t show up to my birthday party?” - Return your library book, otherwise you'll never get to go back to the library again
- We can't worry about the environment, we are in the middle of a economic crisis!
- My brother is in high school, he wears a hat to school. All high schoolers wear hats
- Either you like bacon, or you're wrong
- “I just arrived in this country and the first 2 local people I met were so rude. Everyone in this country must be unfriendly!”