The End Approaches
May 29
May 30
Work Day
June 5
June 12
Video
Materials
Due
May 31
Short Periods
For Testing
June 6
June 7
Work Time – Use It Or Lose It
(Logical Fallacies Notes)
June 13
June 14
June 1
Example
Documentary
Assignment
June 2
Friday Quiz
(Example
Documentary)
June 8
June 9
(1hr Early
dismissal)
Friday Quiz
(Logical Fallacies)
Short Periods For
Testing
(Logical Fallacies
Practice)
Jun 15
Videos Required To Be Shown In Class
June 16
Tomorrow’s Scoring Criteria:
A: 8—10, B: 6—7, C: 4—5, D: 2—3, F: 0—1
You May Use Any Notes From Your Practice Sheet.
Remember:
A logical fallacy doesn’t necessarily make a conclusion
wrong, but it does make it harder to defend.
1.
If I passed a test without studying even after the
teacher said it would be impossible, then studying
must not really be too important, therefore I will
never study again.
Anecdotal Fallacy:
One story about one time doesn’t make a rule.
2.
If his art project could have been considered
beautiful, but then she said he is mean to
children, I will therefore consider his artwork ugly.
Ad Hominem Fallacy:
A person’s character isn’t necessarily reflected in their work.
3.
If one man likes Democrats and the rest of the
town likes Republicans, then Republicans must be
right, therefore the man should change to liking
Republicans.
Bandwagon Fallacy:
Just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t make it right.
4.
If the scientist pointed out a mistake in the
politician’s logic, then the politician pointed out a
mistake in the scientist’s data, neither of them
therefore have any reason to listen to the other.
Tu Quoque Fallacy:
Throwing allegations back at each other doesn’t invalidate ideas.
5.
If my boss told me to wipe the floor, then I stared
at the floor and thought it already looked clean, I
therefore don’t need to mop the floor.
Personal Incredulity Fallacy:
Just because you don’t understand something doesn’t make it wrong.
6.
If that one girl I don’t like hangs out with a
particular group, then I can’t hang out with them
whenever she’s around, therefore I must not like
anyone in that group.
Composition / Division Fallacy:
A part of a whole does not necessarily define the whole.
7.
If I personally believe that Zeus is the most
powerful god ever, then it is the responsibility of
others to prove me wrong, and I can therefore
consider myself correct until they do so.
Burden of Proof Fallacy:
When you make a positive claim, it’s your job to prove it.
8.
If the doctor supports abortions for women whose
lives are in danger from pregnancy, then he
supports the death human beings, and he must
therefore enjoy murdering babies.
Strawman Fallacy:
Blowing one fact out of proportion doesn’t strengthen your argument.
9.
If my science experiment failed this time even
though I’ve done it before, then it must have been
something else going on, and I therefore don’t
have to count the data this time.
Special Pleading Fallacy:
Pretending something didn’t happen doesn’t make it count less.
10.
If the teacher tests students on information, then
throws out all of the questions where people
struggled, everyone’s grades stay good and she is
therefore a good teacher.
Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy:
You must define your target before shooting at it, not after.
11.
If it is normal for humans to exclude people who
are different, then it was normal for us to
ostracize the new kid, therefore excluding weird
kids from our group is normal and justified.
Appeal to Nature Fallacy:
Nature isn’t inherently and unquestionably good / correct.
12.
If my English class last year wasn’t too hard, then
my English class this year shouldn’t be too hard,
therefore English is an easy subject.
Genetic Fallacy:
Truths are difficult to define from their origins.
13.
If my friend didn’t like my picture on social media,
then she must not be my friend any more,
therefore I can only be friends with people if
they like my posts.
Black-or-White Fallacy:
Life is rarely reducible to one choice or the other.
14.
If I believe in UFO abduction, and then I have an
experience similar to stories I’ve heard about
UFO abduction, I must therefore have been
abducted by UFOs.
Begging the Question Fallacy:
Formulating situations to produce an outcome doesn’t make the outcome inevitable.
15.
If I wear a tie to work every day, but he doesn’t
wear a tie when he works, he is therefore not as
qualified for his job as me.
No True Scotsman Fallacy:
Defining arbitrary boundaries does not make those boundaries enforceable or true.
16.
If science disagrees with religion and religion
disagrees with science, then neither science nor
religion can be 100% correct, and the truth must
therefore be a combination of both science and
religion.
Middle Ground Fallacy:
Two opposing viewpoints don’t necessarily deserve equal treatment.
Bonus:
If I decide what I think about a topic, then I do a
bunch of research to find justification for what I
think but ignore anything that does not, I can
therefore expect others to trust what I think.
Cherry Picking Fallacy:
Ignoring opposing information does not make that information go away.
You can’t avoid logical fallacies completely, but
you can be aware of them and prepare defenses
for or acknowledge weaknesses in your argument.