Prompt

Identify a news story or current event that demonstrates a logical fallacy.

Identify the fallacy and explain how it can be avoided. Also, be sure to explain why you believe logical fallacies are used, and what purposes they may serve.

Discuss whether there are logical fallacies that can improve an argument or if they are something you want to steer clear of.

Can fallacies be useful and in what ways? Or do you believe that fallacies should be avoided at all costs?

Now apply that thinking to the news story you located, and explain how your personal views about fallacies could be applied to this story.

For your citation, you might use articles that show examples of logical fallacies. You can also find articles from experts that suggest how fallacies can be avoided.

Your initial and reply posts should work to develop a group understanding of this topic. Challenge each other. Build on each other. Always be respectful but discuss this and figure it out together.

Some example:

Our world is filled with information. Some of this information can be counted on as factual and logical, but a lot of the information that circulates in our world is in need of being checked for accuracy, and most people do not know this. Therefore, the sharing of misinformation is a popular practice these days, and with social media popularity continuing to rise, misinformation can spread quickly through our population. But setting aside the extreme cases of non-fact being passed off as truth, consider for a moment the arguments that are often made through advertising, political campaigns, and the beliefs each of us hold on to.

Many arguments are composed on the basis of faulty logic. When this occurs, it is known as a logical fallacy. Logical fallacies are shortcomings an argument has in making connections between certain points. Here is one example: Many folks believe that cigarettes kill people. Why shouldn't they? Many of the components in cigarettes have been connected to a host of medical problems in the smoker that only arise after beginning the smoking habit.

However, there have also been cases where people who have smoked before or are still in the habit have lived normal, healthy lifespans; there are also those where cigarette smokers who have died were found to have a different cause of death that was not related to their cigarette smoking. The claim that "Cigarettes kill people," is a fallacy because there are people who smoke and not die from the habit, and not all those who have a cigarette smoking habit die because of it.

Despite being a faulty argument, the campaign against cigarette smoking has served to educate millions in our population about the dangers of tobacco use, which is a win for public health. In this way, logical fallacies can be used to lead to a more favorable outcome. This does not change the fact that the argument is faulty, but in this case, having fewer people put themselves at risk using cigarettes or tobacco is a good thing.

Logical fallacies are committed regularly, many on purpose, some unintentional. Ten of the most common logical fallacies, as explained by Mark Skoskiewicz (2011), include:

1. Ad Hominem: This occurs when the speaker personally attacks their opponent instead of sticking to the issue at hand. Example: Carrie Underwood thinks guns should be outlawed, but Carrie Underwood doesn't go to church, so we shouldn't listen to her

2. Ad Populum: Ad Populum tries to prove an argument as correct simply because a large amount of people believe it to be true.
Example: 80% of people are for the death penalty, therefore, the death penalty is moral.

3. Appeal to Authority: This fallacy happens when an argument is supported by a claim made by someone notable or famous as a person of authority, even when they are not qualified.
Example: Legal drinking age should change to 18 because Albert Einstein believed that 18 years old is when adulthood begins.

4. Begging the Question: This happens when the author's premise and conclusion say the same thing.
Example: Instagram photos do not hurt a woman's self-esteem because a woman's confidence is intact after using the Instagram app.

5. False Dichotomy: This fallacy rests on the assumption that there are only two possible solutions, so disproving one solution means that other solution should be utilized. It ignores other alternative solutions. Example: The teacher gives too many A's and therefore must be fired because grade inflation is unfair to other students.

6. Hasty Generalization: Hasty Generalization occurs when the proponent uses too small of a sample size to support a sweeping generalization. Example: Sally couldn't find any cute clothes at the boutique and neither could Maura, so the boutique doesn't have any cute clothes.

7. Post Hoc/ False Cause: This fallacy assumes that correlation equals causation or, in other words, if one event predicts another event it must have also caused the event. Example: The football team gets better grades than the baseball team, therefore playing football makes you smarter than playing baseball.

8. Missing the Point: In Missing the Point, the premise of the argument supports a specific conclusion but not the one the author draws. Example: Antidepressants are overly prescribed which is dangerous, so they should clearly be made illegal.

9. Spotlight Fallacy: This occurs when the author assumes that the cases that receive the most publicity are the most common cases. Example: 90% of news reports talk about negative events. Therefore, it follows that 90% of events that occur in the real world are negative.

10. Straw Man: In this fallacy, the speaker focuses on the opponent's weaker, less central arguments, acting as if this argument is the basis of the issue. Example: My opponent wants to limit your access to guns, but studies show that video game violence leads to more gun violence.

Logical fallacies have the power to persuade us to act or feel, and this can be a powerful force to harness when marketing a business, when running for a competitive office, or when trying to call attention to a cause. Watch this TED Talk from 0:00 to 10:00 regarding how to think given that our world is filled with information that seeks to persuade us. Three main takeaways from this video (15:46 min) include:

1.Were you taught how to think? A reflection exercise (0:40 min)

2.The role of curiosity in powering learning and thinking (3:00 min)

3.It is good to be wrong. (5:49 min)