Thinking Critically

•you need to pose questions, to analyze

complex ideas, and to be able to read
beyond what the text is saying.
 Logical Fallacies
• the ability to pose question
• the ability to analyze a problem in all its dimension - define
its key terms, determine its causes, understand its history,
appreciate its human dimension and its connection to one’s
own personal experience. and appreciate what it makes it
problematic or complex.
• the ability to imagine alternative solutions to the problem
and to see different ways in which the question might be
answered and different perspective for viewing it.
• the ability to write an effective argument justifying your
choice while acknowledging counter-arguments.
• can often be used to mislead people -
to trick them into believing something
they otherwise wouldn’t.
• it is an argument that may sound
convincing or true but is actually flawed,
leading to an unsupported conclusion.
 Dicto Simpliciter
• argument based on as unqualified generalization,
- statement that draws a general conclusion on the
basis of biased or insufficient evidence.

• a fallacy that involves making oversimplified

generalizations without considering exceptions,
variations or context.
Example:
1. EXERCISE IS GOOD. THEREFORE EVERYBODY
SHOULD EXERCISE.
2. All politicians are corrupt.
3. Children nowadays are addicted to
smartphones.
 Hasty Generalization
• Claim made on the basis of insufficient
evidence. Instead of looking into examples
and evidence that are much more in line
with the typical or average situation, you
draw conclusion about a large population
using a small, unrepresentative sample.
 Example
1. I’ve met three redheads and they were all mean, so
all redheads are mean.
2. You can speak French, I can’t speak French, Petey
Burch can’t speak French. I must therefore conclude
that nobody in the University of Minnesota can speak
French.
3. The car that just cut me off is from Danao, so all the
people from Danao are jerks.
 Contradictory Premises
involve an argument (generally
considered a logical fallacy) that draws a
conclusion from inconsistent or
incompatible premises. Essentially, a
proposition is contradictory when it
asserts and denies the same thing.
 Argumentum Ad Misericordiam
(Appeal to Pity)

- appealing to a person’s unfortunate

circumstances as a way of getting someone
to accept a conclusion.
Example
1. You need to pass me on this course, since I’ll lose my
scholarship if you don’t.
2. Could you please change my grade from D to C? i
worked really hard for this assignment. I even pulled an
all-nighter to finish on time, and my parents will be so
disappointed!
3. He should not be punished becuase he is just a little
child.
False Analogy

- the assumption that two things

share multiple similarities simply
because they have one thing in
common.
Example
1. Joan and Mary both drive pickup trucks. Since Joan is
teacher, Mary must also be a teacher.
2. Students should be allowed to look at their
textbooks during examinations. After all, surgeons have
briefs to guide them during an operation, lawyers have
briefs during a trial, carpenters have blueprints to guide
them when they are building a house.
Hypothesis Contrary to Fact
(WHAT IF)

THE RESULTS OF AN EXPERIMENT OR

RESEARCH RAN COUNTER TO WHAT YOU
ORIGINALLY PREDICTED. OFFERING
POORLY SUPPORTED CLAIM ABOUT
WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED IN THE
PAST OR FUTURE
EXAMPLE
1. IF YOU DIDN’T FLIP HEADS ON THE
COIN, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN TAILS.
2. IF YOU TOOK THAT COURSE ON CD
PLAYER REPAIR RIGHT OUT OF HIGH
SCHOOL, YOU WOULD BE DOING WELL
AND GAINFULLY EMPLOYED RIGHT NOW.
 POISONING THE WELL
(AD HOMINEM ATTACK)
• A LOGICAL FALLACY IN WHICH A PERSON
ATTEMPTS TO PLACE AN OPPONENT IN A
POSITION FROM WHICH HE OR SHE IS UNABLE
TO REPLY.
• A TYPE OF FALLACY WHERE (IRRELEVANT)
NEGATIVE INFORMATION IS PREEMPTIVELY
PRESENTED TO AN AUDIENCE TO DISCREDIT
WHATEVER THE OPPONENT IS ABOUT TO SAY.
 EXAMPLE
1. TWO MEN ARE HAVING A DEBATE.
THE FIRST ONE GETS UP AND SAYS,
“MY OPPONENT IS A NOTORIOUS
LIAR. YOU CAN’T BELIEVE A WORD
THAT HE IS GOING TO SAY”.