Friday, January 24, 2014

Forum #1: Logical Fallacies

Read your "Logical Fallacies" handout, then pick your "favorite" fallacy and give a real-life example, explaining afterward why your example displays flawed logic.

Sample post:

Fallacy: #12, Ad populum
Example: If you really care about YHS, you'll go to my gymnastics meet on Wednesday!
Why it's flawed logic: While caring about YHS could be expressed by attending a gymnastics meet, the concept of school loyalty is being conflated here with attending a specific school event.  A person could express his or her care about YHS in many other ways.

74 comments:

  1. Fallacy: #11, Straw Man
    Example:You don't support the president because of his ethnicity.
    Why it's flawed logic:While some people would be biased for that reason a majority of people disagree with a specific policy or action made by the president, not just his ethnicity.
    Jacob Selgestad

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would go with # 4.-Genetic Fallacy on this also.

      Delete
    2. (ABOVE)
      -Zach Lattea

      Delete
  2. Fallacy #11, Straw Man
    Example: People who are quiet have no social skills.
    Why it's flawed logic: While people who are quiet could have bad social skills, they could just be tired, sick, or having a bad day.
    -Rachel Orton

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fallacy: #3, Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc
    Example: She buys the off brand instead of the main brand, she must be poor.
    Why it's flawed logic: Just because someone buys the off brand, it doesn't make them poor. They might be trying to save money or like that brand better than the main brand.
    -Kess Houck

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. agree with that. just because someone doesnt buy the name brand, doesnt mean he or she is poor. maybe the other brand is better then name brand.
      -sarina knox.

      Delete
  4. Fallacy: #6, Circular Argument
    Example: Mr. (insert teacher here) is a good teacher because he teaches well.
    Why it's flawed logic: Saying this teacher "is a good teacher" with the reasoning being that "he teaches well" are basically the same point. There is no evidence that this teacher is actually a good teacher.
    Rachael D.

    ReplyDelete
  5. if we really belived mary warren that she was innocent then we wouldnt put her in jail or her mother.
    Colton Diefenderfer

    ReplyDelete
  6. either/or
    we could either shoot the guns or go boating.
    Jameson Mitchell

    ReplyDelete
  7. Post hoc ergo propter hoc
    I went to play practice last night and after play I went to McDonalds and broke my ankle there, so if going to play practice caused me to have a broken ankle.
    This is wrong. Just because you went to McDonalds after play practice doesn't mean Play was the reason you broke your ankle. If you hadn't gone to play practice in the first place and then you would of never gone to McDonalds you might of never broken your ankle. But going to play practice cannot be the direct cause of breaking your ankle.
    -Jack Tramp

    ReplyDelete
  8. Fallacy #3 post ergo propter hoc
    Example: I didn't get a good nights sleep and I failed my AP Bio quiz, so I must have failed because I didn't get enough sleep.
    Why it's flawed logic: Because it would be assuming that I did nothing else that would keep me from doing good on the quiz, like watching TV instead of studying.
    -Erica Westerman

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Either that or you studied too hard and forgot everything right before the quiz and did badly.
      -Kess Houck

      Delete
  9. Fallacy #6 Circular Argument
    Bolt is a fast runner because he runs fast.
    Flawed because its just repeating that he's fast
    Ethan Klimisch

    ReplyDelete
  10. Fallacy: #12, Moral Equivalence
    Example: The kid canon balled into the pool, just like the a-bomb dropped into Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
    I'm comparign the kid bombing into the pool with the terrible bombing that happend in Japan. This is an unfair and most inaccurate.
    -Olivia Hudson-

    ReplyDelete
  11. Slippery Slope
    Example: If you take way activites then we will all be lazy and fat. Keeping activies will keep kids fit and healthly.
    Meagan Eilers

    ReplyDelete
  12. #12 Moral Equivalence
    Example: When the teacher yelled at me he was as mean as Hitler.
    -Mitch Schlingman

    ReplyDelete
  13. Fallacy #11, Straw Man
    Example: If you are truly passionate about school you will attend class everyday and complete every assignment with your best effort.
    Why it's flawed logic: People may miss school because they are ill or had a major event come up.
    -Allison Sterk

    ReplyDelete
  14. Fallacy: #3,Post hoc ergo propter hoc
    Example: I texted my mom and then my phone shut off, so texting my mom must have made my phone shut off.
    Why it's flawed logic: Because it would be assuming that my phone always shut off when i text my mom, when it could just be my battery died.
    -Sarah Rockne

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very good.
      -Sam Bisgard

      Delete
    2. I'd assume it's becuase you snat chat too much
      -Kaitlyn Frank

      Delete
  15. Slippery Slope
    Example: If you dont encourage kids to go out for school activies or sports nobody will participate. People will end up being unfit and start doing alot of illegal things.
    -Kelsey Rokahr

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's not true all the time.
      -Kess Houck

      Delete
    2. I agree with Kess. Lack of dedication and peer-pressure are what lead to unfit bodies and illegal activity. But still a good example!
      -Veronica Turner

      Delete
  16. #9
    If you beleive in God you will like this post.

    This is flawed because we do not need to like a post on social media to show that we believe in God.
    -Marisa Stucky

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree. I don't like this post.
      -Zach Lattea

      Delete
  17. Straw Man: #11,
    Example: Because that girl did bad on her test, she is stupid.
    Why it is flawed. just because someone did bad on a test does not mean they are stupid. They could have just forgot to study.
    - Paige Thieman

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think the person probably chose not to study, but this is still a strong example.
      -Evan Greeneway

      Delete
  18. Fallacy: #11, Straw Man
    Example: If you are smart you will get straight A's.
    Why it's flawed logic: You can be smart without getting all A's. You just might not like taking tests but you can still know more than those who got an A.
    - Meggie Steiner

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is a very good example
      -Evan Greeneway

      Delete
  19. #12 Moral Equivalence
    Example: Mr. Harnes who has killed many bugs is as ruthless as Joseph Stalin.
    Why it's flawed logic: While Mr. harnes did kill bugs and it does make him look like a bad guy to many people the connection between him and Stalin is illogical. Joseph Stalin was responsible for millions of deaths of innocent people while Mr. Harnes only killed bugs.
    -Evan Greeneway

    ReplyDelete
  20. Fallacy: #11
    Because he has a high score on Flappy Bird, he thinks he's better than everyone else. He may have a good score, but someone is going to be better than him.
    -Sam Bisgard

    ReplyDelete
  21. #12. Moral Equivalence
    The police officer that took me to jail is satan.
    Why its flawed logic: Just because the officer was doing his job doesn't mean he is really satan.
    - Andrew Coffman

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is a very good point.
      -Samantha Smith

      Delete
    2. Why did he take you to jail?
      -Shannon Cwach

      Delete
  22. 2. Hasty Generalization.
    That student recieved an 'A' on the last test, she must have an 'A' for her overall grade in all of her classes.
    -Madison D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is a flawed logic, because though she recieved the 'A' for that particular test, that does not mean that she gets 'A's' on all of her test in every class. Therefore, she does not necessarily recieve 'As' for all her overall grades in her classes.
      -Madison D

      Delete
  23. Fallacy: #7 Either/Or
    Either we can all start recycling or we can just let the Earth become overly polluted and destroy environments in the world.
    -Maggie W.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is a flawed logic because they are both presented as options to solving the problem of pollution, but the ranges of choices inbetween are ignored due to the fact that there can be more than these two choices to solve the issue of pollution.
      -Maggie W.

      Delete
  24. #11 Straw man
    If you have strait A's, you try hard and have perfect attendance.
    Why it is flawed logic: You can not try and miss school and still have good grades.
    -Jacob Hubbs

    ReplyDelete
  25. #2 hasty generalization
    this whole story is based on hasty generalization in my opinion because they jumped to the conclusion of witchcraft which set off pretty much a chain reaction of hasty generalizations throughout the story
    -Nick Raab

    ReplyDelete
  26. #12. Moral Equivalence
    Example: When my parents are angry they argue like Donald Trump.
    Why its flawed logic: Donald Trump isnt always angry.
    -Evan Moon

    ReplyDelete
  27. #11 Straw Man
    People who do not vote at the presidential elections hate the United States.
    In this example a person may not have voted because they don't have an opinion or may they have not had enough time to go vote. It doesn't mean they had a certain feeling the country.
    -Anna Wuestewald

    ReplyDelete
  28. #12 Moral Equivalence
    If you don't have a car you are poor.
    Why its flawed logic: Having a car may show some financial wealth but this doesn't mean a person cant walk or bike around and still have money.
    -Mason Strahl

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What if they can't afford a bike or shoes?
      -Dylan Moderegger

      Delete
  29. Fallacy #2:
    Is the only real evidence against Martha Corey that she reads a lot of books? Hathorne says they have an abundance of evidence... Well where/what is it? They must be just lying to get her to confess, but she is innocent.
    - Jackie Pajl

    ReplyDelete
  30. #3. Post hoc ergo propter hoc
    Little Jimmy and his brother Semore are both sick with strep throat. Last week the both went swimming at the pool therefore the pool gave them strep throat.
    Why it is flawed logic: They could have gotten sick somewhere outside of the pool.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Fallacy #6
    Proctor: ...You saw her screams, she howeled, she swore familiar spirits chocked her; she even testified that Satan, in the form of woman now in jail, tried to win her soul away, and then when she refused-
    Danforth: We know all this.

    ReplyDelete
  32. #3. Post hoc ergo propter hoc- My friend used my computer recently and now it's broken, so my friend must have broken my computer.
    Why Flawed: The computer could've been broken by a multitude of different things entirely unrelated to said friend.
    -Zach Lattea

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What if your friend went on a certain website and a virus infected it.
      Dylan Moderegger

      Delete
    2. Could be the problem, but it is unkown what the friend's activities while on the computer consisted of.
      -Zach Lattea

      Delete
  33. #1 Slippery Slope
    I overslept this morning and was late for school, so I shouldn't even try to enjoy my day because I know it will be terrible.
    Even though one bad thing happened, it doesn't really give an indication of how the rest of the day will go.
    -Johanna Lippert

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You could just eat chocolate. Chocolate can fix a bad day.
      -Kaitlyn Frank

      Delete
  34. #1. Slippery Slope
    If we ban fords because they keep breaking down then the country will ban all cars for breaking down so we should not ban fords
    -Spencer Schade

    ReplyDelete
  35. Fallacy #11,
    Example: If you don't go to college the only choice you have is to become a plumber.
    Why its flawed logic: Just because you don't go to colllege doesnt mean you have to become a plumber, theres always McDonalds.
    -Mikayla Schroeder

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thats a good point
      -Shannon Cwach

      Delete
    2. Or you could become a sanitation engineer. That's what I'm gonna do.
      -Kaitlyn Frank

      Delete
  36. Example #3
    I ate one of the school's chicken fajitas and got sick, so the chicken fajita must have made me sick.
    -Shannon Cwach

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. it probably did.... its school food.

      Delete
  37. #3. Post hoc ergo propter hoc
    There was a lighting storm outside and then my lights went out, so the lighting made my lights go out.
    - Kaitlyn Frank

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Flawed: just becuase the lights went out doesnt mean it was the lightings fault, it could have been a tree that fell on the electrical wires.
      -Kaitlyn Frank

      Delete
  38. #11. Straw Man
    If you have bad grades you aren't smart.
    Why it's flawed logic: If you have bad grades it could mean you don't try in school or don't get homework done. It doesn't mean you aren't smart.
    - Brandon Pavel

    ReplyDelete
  39. #7 Everyone in Salem is either in fear of the court because they are guilty, or they do not fear the court.
    This is terribly inaccurate because the idea of even basic accusal, or even just summoning for testimony, is enough to cause a high amount of fear, whether the involved party is innocent or not.
    - Aaron Felton

    ReplyDelete
  40. #3 post hoc ergo propter hoc
    she dresses differently, so she must not fit in.
    she may not have the nice clothes or drive the nice car, maybe shes using her money for something else more important like college.

    ReplyDelete
  41. #8 Ad Hominem
    They do not believe in God because they are homosexual.
    This is inaccurate because there is no proof that they don't believe in God or go to church. They are attacking the indiividual based on their feelings for them not based on any evidence to prove them non-Christian.
    -Haylee Worm

    ReplyDelete
  42. #8 Ad hominem
    You shouldn't believe _________ because they are mean.
    Why it's flawed: Because a person is mean, it may make it harder to believe them, but that doesn't mean they are a liar. If they haven't done anything to prove they lie, it isn't fair to not believe them.
    -Story Lesher

    ReplyDelete