There are other possible explanations however, such as the teacher thinking homework helps students learn more or the teacher is required by the school to give a certain amount of homework. One student replies, “You must hate us kids – you shouldn’t have become a teacher.” The student is arguing that the teacher must give less homework, and if he doesn’t, that means he must dislike children. Be sure to consider all possible situations before deciding to only present two.Įxample: a group of students asks a teacher to be assigned less homework, and the teacher denies their request. False Dichotomy:Īrguing that there are only two possible options or outcomes, when in fact, there are others that are just as plausible. One student replies, “You just want us all to be mindless drones who do whatever the authorities tell us to do!” There’s no evidence suggesting that is what the teacher desires, but it is what the student has decided the teacher has implied through faulty reasoning. By misrepresenting what the opponent is actually saying, you’re able to make an argument, but not against the actual viewpoint.Įxample: a group of students asks a teacher to be assigned less homework, and the teacher denies their request because, he explains, homework is good preparation for college. When you “attack a straw man,” you’re attacking an exaggerated or skewed version of an opponent’s argument. You don’t even wear matching socks.” The teacher’s personal fashion choices have nothing to do with the decision to keep assigning homework. One student replies, “Whatever, I knew you would say no. This can look like a cheap shot, and like you don’t know enough to actually argue against the opposing viewpoint.Įxample: a group of students asks a teacher to be assigned less homework, and the teacher denies their request. You do not call into question the validity of the statement, or the sources used to back it up, but rather attack the person’s character, past actions, or life circumstances. Instead of critiquing the argument or viewpoint being shared, an ad hominem is aimed at the person making the statement.
RED HERRING LOGICAL FALLACY BOOK TV
Soon you’ll be asking if we can watch television and play video games during class!” Asking for less homework is a far cry from watching TV and playing games in class there’s no apparent correlation that the first would cause the second. The teacher replies, “First you ask for less homework. Instead of closely investigating the chain of events that may occur after one action has taken place, someone using the slippery slope fallacy will jump straight to what he or she thinks is the worst outcome, without proper evidence.Įxample: a group of students asks a teacher to be assigned less homework. Suggesting that one action will eventually result in an extreme and undesirable outcome.
None of you want to do any hard work.” The teacher only made that statement based off of the actions of one small group of students. The teacher replies, “Wow, kids your age are really lazy. If you’re too quick to make a general statement about a group of people, location, or other topic, and are pressed for evidence, you won’t be able to offer much support.Įxample: a group of students asks a teacher to be assigned less homework. Making a conclusion based on only a few examples as evidence. Some kids don’t even get to go to school.” The fact that some children don’t attend school has nothing to do with the impact the amount of homework is having on the students. The teacher replies, “You don’t like homework? You should feel lucky to have homework. When someone employs the red herring, he or she is attempting to distract readers or listeners with an issue only tangentially related to the bigger, more important issue that is being discussed.Įxample: a group of students asks a teacher to be assigned less homework so they have more time for extracurricular activities, after-school jobs, and leisure.
But the red herring logical fallacy has no place in nonfiction. In a work of fiction, a red herring can be a clever literary device that tricks readers and keeps them guessing throughout the story. Familiarize yourself with these ten common logical fallacies so that they don’t end up in your work. Don’t take shortcuts in your nonfiction book, speaking engagements, or interviews. As a result, fallacies can decrease your credibility and the quality of your book. When you use a fallacy, deliberately or on accident, readers will be left feeling confused or assume you didn’t have enough evidence to truly prove your point. In order to be effective, your communications and arguments need to be logical. A logical fallacy occurs when someone attempts to make a point without proper research and reasoning.
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