Logic argument fallacies #1

Logic fallacies

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/common-logical-fallacies

For a long time, I’ve wanted to do a series on logic fallacies.  With the political campaigns starting up (which is tough in COVID-19 times), I think these can be helpful!!!

Straw Man

This fallacy occurs when your opponent over-simplifies or misrepresents your argument (i.e., setting up a "straw man") to make it easier to attack or refute. Instead of fully addressing your actual argument, speakers relying on this fallacy present a superficially similar -- but ultimately not equal -- version of your real stance, helping them create the illusion of easily defeating you.

I say “I don’t want to go to the park today, it is too hot”

Her retort “You never want to go to the park”

She misrepresents my argument - that today I don’t want to go to the park.

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Anne says we should be nice to the new girl in the bridge club.  Erika says that Anne is preferring the new girl over her old friends.

Erika makes being nice to the new girl to being exclusively nice to the new girl and ignoring Anne’s old friends.

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John: I think we should hire someone to redesign our website.

Lola: You're saying we should throw our money away on external resources instead of building up our in-house design team? That's going to hurt our company in the long run.

Lola makes John seem to want to waste money on an ‘expensive’ external web design group.  The company may not have in-house expertise and it may take much longer to get an internal group website up and running and then it might not be as good as those who do websites for a living.

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Candidate A: In a pandemic, mail-in ballots can be used to avoid getting out in public.

Candidate B.  Universal mail-in voting would not work.  Ballots could get sent to the wrong addresses, the post office would be overwhelmed, ballot counting could take months.

Candidate B made candidate A’s proposal into a universal proposal, not an option.

Governor A “I am releasing John Smith from prison today”

Opponent/candidate: “The governor is soft on crime”

(John Smith had a life sentence, is 78, and is dying of cancer.  The doctors say he has about a week to live)

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The Bandwagon fallacy

I call this the “mob” fallacy.  Just because a significant population of people believes a proposition is true, doesn't automatically make it true. Popularity alone is not enough to validate an argument, though it's often used as a standalone justification of validity.

Parents have heard this one “But all the kids are going”; “But all the girls have their ears pierced”; “Everybody in our neighborhood has an SUV.”

Carol “But, Mom, all the girls are going to the dance”

Mom “I’ll check with Renee’s mom”

<a few minutes later>

Mom “Renee’s mom says Rene isn’t going”

And, if you will.  Pilate said “I will release one prisoner”, and the crowd (urged by the Pharisees) yelled “Release Barabbas”. Then Pilate asked, “What should I do with Jesus?” - and the crowd yelled, “Crucify him”.  Mob fallacy.

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Can you think of other examples of the “Strawman” changing the tone so the respondent weakens the statement?

Can you think of other Bandwagon examples?

More logical fallacies tomorrow!!!

Hugs!!

Karen

(Love wins)