Make Polly Fall for You

Criteria Excellent Very Good Needs Improvement

(5 pts.) (4 pts.) (2 pts.)
Content Presentation includes at least Presentation includes 1 Presentation does not
2 fallacies fallacy include a fallacy
Creativity Presentation is well-thought Presentation is well- Presentation is well-
of and very creatively done thought of and somehow thought but lacks
done creatively creativity
Delivery Lines, words were clearly Lines, words were clearly Lines, words were not
delivered throughout the delivered in most parts of clearly delivered
presentation the presentation throughout the
presentation
Mechanics All statements in the Most statements in the Most statements in the
presentation are presentation are presentation are not
grammatically correct grammatically correct grammatically correct
Would you fall for
FALL-ACIES?

A Discussion on Logical Fallacies

Definition
Logical fallacies
- flaws in reasoning leading to faulty, illogical statements
- unreasonable argumentative tactics
- seemingly reasonable statements attempting to manipulate
audience by reaching emotions instead of intellects
Arguments consist of
•premises
•inferences, and
•conclusions.
1. Dicto simpliciter
– a general rule or observation is treated as universally
true regardless of the circumstances or the individuals
concerned

Examples:
• Exercise is good. Therefore everybody should exercise.
• There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for love.
2. Hasty generalization
• "fallacy of insufficient sample“
• a conclusion based on insufficient or unrepresentative
evidence
Examples:
• “You can speak French, I can't speak French, Petey
Burch can't speak French. I must therefore conclude
that nobody at the University of Minnesota can speak
French.”
• All women are emotional.
3. Post hoc ergo propter hoc
• after it, therefore because of it
• confusing coincidental relationships with cause
Examples:
• “Let's not take Bill on our picnic. Every time we take him out
with us, it rains.”
• I always get high scores in an exam when I see you before
taking it.
4. Contradictory Premises
• self-contradiction
• premises of the argument contradict each other so
there can be no argument
Examples:
• “If God can do anything, can he make a stone so
heavy he can’t lift it?”
• The only thing certain is uncertainty.
5. Ad Misericordiam
• appeal to pity
• arguer tries to get you to accept their view on the grounds
that they will be harmed if you don’t
Examples:
• “Polly, I love you. Please, my darling, say that you will go
steady with me, for if you will not, life will be meaningless. I
will languish. I will refuse my meals. I will wander the face
of the earth, a shambling, hollow-eyed hulk."
• Just do as I ask before you give me a heart attack!
6. False Analogy
- points out similarities in things that are otherwise different
- claiming that two situations are highly similar when they
aren't
Examples:
• You can ace a Math test. Therefore, you can definitely get a
high score in the English test.
• I said, patting her hand in a tolerant manner, "five dates is
plenty. After all, you don't have to eat a whole cake to know
it's good."
 7. Argumentum ad speculum
• hypothesis contrary to fact
• arguing from something that might have happened,
but didn't
Examples:
• “If I hadn't come along you never would have
learned about fallacies." This the author (Dobie
Gillis) says to Polly.
• If I didn’t love you, my life would’ve been miserable.
8. Poisoning the Well
- arguer uses biased language (either positive or
negative) to support their views rather than offering
evidence.
Examples:
• "You can't go with him, Polly. He's a liar. He's a cheat.
He's a rat."
• She doesn’t deserve your love. She’s no good for a
person.
9. Ad Hominem
- Latin for to the man
directly attacks someone’s appearance, personal
habits, or character rather than focusing on the merit
of the issue at hand. The implication is that if
something is wrong with this person, whatever
he/she says must be wrong.
Examples:
• How can you say he’s a good musician when he’s been in
and out of rehab for three years?
10. Ad Populum/Bandwagon
• arguer appeals to the sheer number of persons who agree
with the belief or to the popularity of the belief as evidence
that it is true.

Examples:
• Because a majority of people believe in forever, there must be
forever! That many people can’t be wrong!
• 4 out of 5 ladies prefer receiving chocolates than flowers.
What’s Next?
• Thurs- Exercise on Fallacies
• Mon- APA discussion
• Tues- Long Test on Fallacies and APA
• Wed-Fri- Exams