Logical fallacies
You have probably experienced it before; you are arguing with your friend, and you are losing. It is not that your arguments don’t hold, but somehow your friend seems to twist his arguments, so they seem better. It may well have been that the odds have been against you because your friend “cheated”, because he or she used a logical fallacy. And what is that, you may ask? A logical fallacy is a failure in reasoning, which therefore leads to an invalid argument. Logical fallacies are committed everywhere, and all the time. Some examples of them can be seen in the video below.
In the video, Brian Dunning sums up some of the many logical fallacies that people may commit. Other logical fallacies are listed below with examples:
Argument ad baculum: An argument from intimidation
Example: “You should believe in god because you’ll go to hell if you don’t."
Post hoc ergo propter hoc: An event that precedes another event, is the cause for that event
Example: “I prayed for rain, and it rained! Therefore prayer works.”
False dichotomy: Assuming that there are only logical possibilities, when there are really more.
Example: “You are either with us, or your with the HF”
No true Scotsman: Making what could be called an appeal to purity as a way to dismiss relevant criticisms or flaw to an argument
Example: Glenn: “No Scotsman wears underpants underneath the kilt.”
Willy: “But I wear underpants underneath my kilt?”
Glenn: “No true Scotsman wears underpants underneath the kilt.”
Begging the question/ Circular reasoning: A circular argument in which the conclusion is included in the premise.
Example: “Whatever is denser than water will sink, because such objects cannot float.”
Example: “You should believe in god because you’ll go to hell if you don’t."
Post hoc ergo propter hoc: An event that precedes another event, is the cause for that event
Example: “I prayed for rain, and it rained! Therefore prayer works.”
False dichotomy: Assuming that there are only logical possibilities, when there are really more.
Example: “You are either with us, or your with the HF”
No true Scotsman: Making what could be called an appeal to purity as a way to dismiss relevant criticisms or flaw to an argument
Example: Glenn: “No Scotsman wears underpants underneath the kilt.”
Willy: “But I wear underpants underneath my kilt?”
Glenn: “No true Scotsman wears underpants underneath the kilt.”
Begging the question/ Circular reasoning: A circular argument in which the conclusion is included in the premise.
Example: “Whatever is denser than water will sink, because such objects cannot float.”
As already mentioned, logical fallacies are made all the time. Sometimes they are made subconsciously, and sometimes, they are made on purpose. Politicians use logical fallacies very often, in order to have their arguments and beliefs make a larger impression on the audience. So, as an IB student, the more you are aware of logical fallacies, the better you are at thinking critically, and assessing sources as a proper IB student.
Real life examples
Reason, ethics and human sciences:In 2014, a white police officer killed Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager. Now, white police officers have shot at least four black men because they felt like their life or the public were in danger even though the black suspects were unarmed, showing that the police officers aren’t reacting to the black man they see in front of them, but the stereotypical image of black men.
Journalists are usually supposed to be objective in their news articles, but is that still the case when writing about dead individuals? Jon Snow, who has been in Gaza to write about the events there, decided not to remain objective about the attacks and deaths of people since it to him seems like madness to be calmly rational about deaths of children.
Bibliography
Alchin, Nicholas. Theory of Knowledge Third Edition. Hodder Education, 2014. Print.
Fraser, Giles. "How Can Journalists Be Objective When Writing about Dead Children?" The Guardian. The Guardian, 1 Aug. 2014. Accessed 11 June 2015. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2014/aug/01/journalists-objective-writing-dead-children.
Pinkerton, Lee. "The Shooting Michael Brown Proves (once Again) How Racial Stereotyping Can Lead to Murder." The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 17 Aug. 2014. Web. 11 June 2015. http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/the-shooting-of-michael-brown-proves-once-again-how-racial-stereotyping-can-lead-to-murder-9674305.html.
"Theory of Knowledge - Theoryofknowledge.net." Accessed 11 June 2015. http://www.theoryofknowledge.net.
"9/11 Attacks." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 11 June 2015. http://www.history.com/topics/9-11-attacks.
Fraser, Giles. "How Can Journalists Be Objective When Writing about Dead Children?" The Guardian. The Guardian, 1 Aug. 2014. Accessed 11 June 2015. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2014/aug/01/journalists-objective-writing-dead-children.
Pinkerton, Lee. "The Shooting Michael Brown Proves (once Again) How Racial Stereotyping Can Lead to Murder." The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 17 Aug. 2014. Web. 11 June 2015. http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/the-shooting-of-michael-brown-proves-once-again-how-racial-stereotyping-can-lead-to-murder-9674305.html.
"Theory of Knowledge - Theoryofknowledge.net." Accessed 11 June 2015. http://www.theoryofknowledge.net.
"9/11 Attacks." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 11 June 2015. http://www.history.com/topics/9-11-attacks.
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