Logical Fallacies

A fallacy is a kind of error in reasoning…Fallacies should not be persuasive, but they often are. Fallacies may be created unintentionally, or they may be created intentionally in order to deceive other people. The vast majority of the commonly identified fallacies involve arguments, although some involve explanations or definitions …but most are fallacies that involve kinds of errors made while arguing informally in natural language. (Dowden, 2005, ¶ 1)

We use or are told fallacies, with and without intention, everyday. Whether we are at school, work or home watching television, learning to catch these fallacies is an important skill that will help us think and discuss issues in a logical and decisive manner. This student will discuss ad hominem, appeal to emotion and straw man fallacies, their significance to critical thinking and their application to decision-making.

“A personal attack is committed when a person substitutes abusive remarks for evidence when attacking another person's claim or claims” (The Nizkor Project, 1991-2005). This personal attack is known as an ad hominem which is Latin for "against the person". An example of this fallacy is “Nick says Beethoven is still the best composer of classical music, but he is only 13 and has only been playing piano for 4 years!” This person is attacking the age and experience of Nick but does not discuss the composing skills of Beethoven or any other classical composer. Critical thinkers do not need to use ad hominem statements to challenge a claim.

Critical thinking, by definition, is high level thinking based on clear and concise statements and facts. When attacked with an ad hominem fallacy, a critical thinker should inform the audience that this fallacy is being used and then restate the evidence for his original claim(s). Even when his character and integrity are attacked, a critical thinker should stick to the facts. In the example above, Nick could state that the statements of his attackers are a personal attack against him, reiterate his statement regarding Beethoven and add his reasons why the composing of Beethoven is so much better than Brahms, Mozart, etc. This particular fallacy should not be misinterpreted for simple name calling which attempts to label someone. Examples of name calling are “Liberal”, “Baby killer”, etc. This student believes that personal attack fallacies and name calling have no place in the corporate work environment. When within hearing distance of these types of attacks, this student refocuses the discussion in a positive direction.

“An appeal to emotion is a type of argument which attempts to arouse the emotions of its audience in order to gain acceptance of its conclusion” (Damer, 1995, p. 44-56). This fallacy is widely used by charities and fund raisers to play on the sympathies of the audience. Charities use photographs of abused animals or small, hungry children; to make the audience feel responsible for the suffering they are shown. They try to influence the audience into giving money to their cause so the suffering will end. Advertisers also use an appeal to emotion fallacy to make the audience feel they desire a certain product or service. Whether it is a special mattress or maid service, this fallacy is used to make the audience feel they are better than others and must have this product to be in the elite class of people.