#10 Appeal to Novelty

•Appeal to Novelty states that just because something is newer, it is

better.•Example: If somebody comes up with the idea

that people should sleep in the day and stay

awake at night, it will be accepted because it is a new idea which makes it

better.•Person A makes up a

new idea C. Now Person Be accepts C as being the best because it is

new.

By: Sharon Ghai and Natalie Lageder

Group A believes Claim S is true.Therefore Claim S is true.

This line of "reasoning" is fallacious because the fact that many people believe a claim does not, in general, serve as evidence that the claim is true.

There are, however, some cases when the fact that many people accept a claim as true is an indication that it is true. For example, while you are visiting Maine, you are told by several people that they believe that people older than 16 need to buy a fishing license in order to fish. Barring reasons to doubt these people, their statements give you reason to believe that anyone over 16 will need to buy a fishing license.

There are also cases in which what people believe actually determines the truth of a claim. For example, the truth of claims about manners and proper behavior might simply depend on what people believe to be good manners and proper behavior. Another example is the case of community standards, which are often taken to be the standards that most people accept. In some cases, what violates certain community standards is taken to be obscene. In such cases, for the claim "x is obscene" to be true is for most people in that community to believe that x is obscene. In such cases it is still prudent to question the justification of the individual beliefs.

73% of Americans find “Times” magazine to be the Most informative, therefore “Times” magazine isThe most informative magazine.

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Appeal to Belief

Two wrongs make a right.

Definition: a fallacy in which a person "justifies" an action against a person by stating that the person would do the same thing to him/her, when the action is not necessary to prevent the action from doing something to the other person.

Example: Terrorists attack United States. United States fights back.

Terrorists now have democracy.

But three lefts make a right.

Straw Man

The Straw Man fallacy is changing someone's actual position on something so you may have a stronger argument against them.

Example:

Person A: “I love America!”

Person B: “You only love America because of their negative disposition towards gay people.”

Person A: “I never said that!”

Person B: “It’s not my fault you hate gay people.”

By Connor McGinley & Eve Gibson Paxton

Person A has position X. Person B presents position Y (which is a distorted version of X). Person B attacks position Y. Therefore X is false/incorrect/flawed.

Middle GroundWhen the middle position between two extremes is

assumed to be the correct position

only because it is the middle position, a logical fallacy is committed. This

reasoning is fallacious because it does not follow that a position is

correct just because it lies in middle ground. Remember that middle ground is

not always fallacious because in many cases the middle position is

correct.

Example:One person wants to read a 1,000 page book, and the other wants to read a 21,000 page book. The second person assumes reading a 10,000 page book is a logical compromise simply because it is the middle ground.

Hasty Generalization

• Hasty generalization is an initial generalization based on inadequate evidence. It commonly involves basing a broad conclusion upon the statistics of a survey of a small group that fails to accurately represent the whole population.

• Person A travels through Town X for the first time. He sees 10 people, all of them white. Person A returns to his town and reports that there are no minority residents in Town X.

• This dog is obviously a little confused about his animalistic orientation, because all cats have four legs and he has four legs, therefore he thinks he is a cat.

Joe Wolin and Alex Paris

Slippery Slope• A person states that an event must

unavoidably follow another event, without any argument, for the inevitability of the event:

1. Event X has occurred (or will/might occur)

2. Therefore event Y will certainly happen

Example:If the teacher allows a student to get out of class early, then they will have to do for everyone else.If you have two or more children and you buy a toy for one, then you must buy one for the rest

Definition: Topic A is under discussion. Topic B is introduced under the guise of being relevant to topic A (when topic B is actually not relevant to topic A). Topic A is abandoned.

Example: I think that we get too much homework, I think you should support this because less homework leads to longer life. And who doesn’t want to live longer.

The Burden of ProofClaim C is presented by person A and the burden of proof rests on person B.

Person B claims that C is false because there is no proof.

One side says their point is valid because the opposition can’t prove that it is false.

Example:

Teacher: Make a power-point

Student: I can’t, I don’t know how.

Teacher: Everybody knows how to make a power-point

Student: You can’t prove that I know how.

BIASED SAMPLE

• A biased sample is when data is drawn from a biased or prejudiced group of people only.

• A poll is taken of people taking AP Environmental Science about whether they believe that global warming is a significant issue. 95% of the people in the class believed that it is an issue but a smaller percentage of the American public believes that it is a problem.

UnbiasedBiased

Poisoning the Well

Eric Oleynick

Erik Ray

Definition: Presenting unfavorable information about a person in order to bias listeners against the person.

Example: "Before turning the floor over to my opponent, I ask you to remember that those who oppose my plans do not have the best wishes of the university at heart."

Begging the Question

By: Gracie Colletta

&

Rhiannon (Ray) Willingham

• Definition: A fallacy in which the foundation includes the claim that the conclusion is true or is assumed to be true.

• If W is said to be true, then all things leading up to W are true.

• Example: If all Americans speak English then there are no other languages spoken in America.

Ad Hominem Attack

Logical Fallacy Number 1

Ad Hominem was a mildly successful French industrial rock band that was formed in 1998Hit songs include “Nuclear Black Metal Kampf” and “Join or Perish”

This is what happens when you use Ad Hominem in an AP essay.

Jeff Hicks and Julie Gongolian, P.3

Definition

–Person A makes Claim X–Person B attacks Person A–Therefore, Claim X is false.

Jeff Hicks and Julie Gongolian, P.3

ExampleRalph Nader Rush Limbaugh

The Chevrolet Corvette is unsafe at any speed and cars need seatbelts.

Well, you are a nincompoop who doesn't know anything.

So?Obviously the Chevrolet Corvette is a safe car.

Jeff Hicks and Julie Gongolian, P.3

Gambler’s Fallacy• Definition: The assumption that

something will happen based on the result of a previous alike event, and that he/she/it is “due” for a positive outcome.

• 1 .X has happened. • 2. X departs from what is expected to

occur on average or over the long term. • 3. Therefore, X will come to an end soon.

• Example: A basketball player makes 50% of his free throws, he is doing a drill where he shoots 10 baskets, he is having a bad day and he misses the first 5, therefore he should the next 5.

DEFINITION:Individual F things have characteristics A, B, C, etc.Therefore, the (whole) class of F things has characteristics A, B, C, etc.

COMPOSITION(Example of a composition problem: This slide is terribly composed.)

EXAMPLE:Many humans that one meets in daily life are incredibly annoying. Therefore, the entire human race must be only worthy of immediate destruction.

Confusing Cause and Effect

• Definition: x and y events occur together therefore they are cause and effect, however this assumption isn't warranted because x and y aren't necessarily the cause and effect, they just occur together

• Breakdown: X occurred a little before Y,

therefore X caused Y • Example:1) I drank water right before i got the flu, therefore

water causes the flu2) I hear a loud gong every time i see a fuzzy animal like a rabbit, therefore rabbits come from gongs ringing

Logical Fallacy #41:

Misleading Vividness

• A fallacy in which a very small number of particularly dramatic events are taken to outweigh a significant amount of statistical evidence

• Dramatic or vivid event X occurs (and is not in accord with the majority of the).

• Therefore events of type X are likely to occur.

(http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/misleading-vividness.html)

Ex 1) An earthquake hits and tears down a pier, therefore Charlie refuses to go on piers because they might fall down.

Ex 2) A woman is reported to have lost weight eating nothing but Hershey’s Kisses, therefore Tanya eats nothing but Hershey’s Kisses in order to lose weight.

Ex 3) Hazel gets bitten by a pony, therefore she assumes that ponies are vicious creatures and refuses to let any of her children go on pony rides.