Fallacy Paper - 991 Words

Fallacies are committed in every state, in every city and in every neighborhood. No race or gender is impervious to committing a fallacy. So, what is a fallacy? Patrick J. Hurley defines a fallacy as, â€Å"A defect in an argument that consists in something other than false premises alone.† These defects result in misconception in an argument. Many times they are accidental, other times they are committed on purpose. However, either way, fallacies can be very persuasive to the casual reader or listener. One in particular, the false cause fallacy, is used quite often in today’s society. Hurley states that, â€Å"The fallacy of false cause occurs whenever the link between premises and conclusion depends on some imagined causal connection†¦show more content†¦A remedy society knows as â€Å"trial and error.† People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) use fallacies in almost all of their advertisements. In fact, ‘Veggie Love,’ a super bowl video ad by PETA, claims that vegetarians have better sex. In the video, gorgeous women dressed in lingerie are groping broccoli, asparagus and even a licking a pumpkin. This video commits the false cause fallacy because it expresses that people are having great sex because they are vegetarians. In addition, if a person wants to have great sex, they need to become a vegetarian. It is also possible that an argument commit more than one fallacy at a time. This video also commits the hasty generalization fallacy, because it states that if you eat vegetables you will have great sex with gorgeous women, therefore the obvious conclusion is that all vegetarians have great sex! To tell these two different types of fallacies apart a reader or listener must know what defines these two types of fallacies. Because ‘Veggie Love’ focuses on vegetarians and great sex, and PETA claims that there is a causal connection between the two, it can be defin ed as a false cause fallacy. Because the video also claims that people who eat vegetables have great sex, we can assume that all vegetarians have great sex which can be defined asShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of William Mortimer J. Adler s Article Analysis844 Words   |  4 Pagesarticle â€Å"How to Mark a Book,† he argues that you should mark up your book to note significant information. Adler argues, through rhetorical appeals and fallacies, that as you write in a book it becomes â€Å"absorbed in your bloodstream,† and allows you to fully own the book. As readers searching for these techniques we can become immune to the fallacies by recognizing them and thereby acknowledging the argument for what it truly is. 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According to Mosser (2011), Often the fallacy of hasty generalization can lead to damaging stereotypes made on the basis of justRead MoreFallacies Essay997 Words   |  4 PagesFallacies A fallacy is defined as a kind of error in reasoning. They can be persuasive and be created both unintentionally and intentionally in order to deceive others from the truth. Fallacies often indicate a false belief or cause of a false belief (dowden, 2006). An argument or situation commits a fallacy when the reasons offered do not support the conclusion. This defeats the purpose of the argument since its point is to give reason to support the conclusion. Fallacies affect the outcome ofRead MoreThe Argument Against Women s Combat1122 Words   |  5 Pagesnation well. There is no reason to change what is already working. Our military is successful and will continue to be so† (ibid.). In saying this, however, he is providing an emotional fallacy to the listener. He is appealing with Americans to keep with their traditions. Bush also, unintentionally, gives a post hoc fallacy when he alludes to the fact that if women fought in combat, our military wouldn’t be as successful. Furthermore, he makes the assumption that if women were allowed to fight in combatRead MoreUnderstanding How Fallacies, Critical Thinking and Decision Making Techniques Are All Linked Togethe1689 Words   |  7 Pagesall comes together 1 Understanding how fallacies, critical thinking and decision making techniques are all linked together. What is a logical fallacy? According to the Webster dictionary (1996), a fallacy is a false notion. A statement or argument based on a false or invalid inference. Fallacies can be divided into two different groups; the first one is the fallacy of relevance where the premises are irrelevant to the outcome. The other is fallacy of insufficient evidence, where the premisesRead MoreFallacy Summary and Application Essay1066 Words   |  5 PagesFallacy Summary and Application Abstract Throughout this paper, we will discuss the relative meanings of fallacies and the importance they have in regards to critical thinking and the decision-making processes. Within the process of critical thinking, fallacies tend to play a very large part of this process. By definition, a fallacy is a statement or an argument based on a false or invalid reference (American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language). As you will read on further into this