Top 5 Logical Fallacies

Complete with examples! And maybe some stories.Top 5 Logical FallaciesNUMBER 5Either-Or (False Dilemna) Also known as the black and white fallacy, this is an argument which assumes that only two alternatives exist.

Example: If you love Canada, you would go to war for it if you were called upon.NUMBER 4Appeal to Authority: Uses the admiration of a famous person to try and win support for an assertion.Ask yourself, is this person a qualified speaker on this subject? If they are not qualified they were likely paid to endorse the assertion.

Example: Any celebrity endorsing beauty products or a home workout system.NUMBER 3Ad Hominem (Argument Directed at a Person): Refusing to accept a statement and justifying its refusal by criticizing the person who made the statement.This is a fallacy because the truth of a statement does not depend on the virtues of the person making the statement.

Example: A father telling his son to not smoke cigarettes even though the father himself is a smoker. (The fact the father smokes does not change the fact that his advice is good advice)NUMBER 2Ad Populum (Appealing to the People): This fallacy is committed when the arguer attempts to win a debate by appealing to a large group of people.

Example: Everyone speeds in their cars at some point in their lives, therefore speeding should be legalized.NUMBER 1Hasty Generalization: When a general rule is formed by examining a few specific cases which are not representative of all examples.

Example: Osama Bin Laden and a group of Muslim terrorists orchestrated the 9/11 attacks, therefore all Muslims should be treated as security threats.First AffirmativeIntroduce the proposition.Clearly state it.Define any words that may be unclear.Give a brief history of the proposition.State the affirmative's position.Prove that your position is needed.Summarize your stand.

1. Introduce the proposition.a. Clearly state it.The proposition being debated today is:Be It Resolved that the minimum wage in Ontario be raised by $3.00 per hour over the next 18 months. This increase is to occur in three, $1.00 per hour, increments: the first will happen immediately, the next in nine months time, and the final one in 18 months time.

b. Define any words that may be unclear.At the moment the general minimum wage or the rate of hourly pay which is the lowest possible rate any employer may pay in Ontario is $8.00 for adults and $7.50 for students under the age of 18 who work fewer than 28 hours per week.c. Give a brief history of the proposition.The last increase in the minimum wage in Ontario occurred February 2007, when the wage was increased from $7.75 to $8.00. Between January 1995 when the minimum wage was $6.85 and February 2004 there were no increases in the general minimum wage despite increases in the cost of living.

2. State the Affirmative's position.It is our view that the minimum wage should be increased to improve the standard of living, albeit a small improvement, of the poorest members of our society. At present, an individual who earns the minimum wage has an income of $14,200 per year, presuming that individual works 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year plus two weeks of paid vacation. This puts those individuals below the poverty level which is $20,778 in urban areas and $14,303 in rural areas per year according to Canadian Council on Social Development website which uses Statistics Canada'sLow Income Cut-Offs.

3. State the Affirmative's position.Currently there are more than one million people in Ontario who earn less than $10 an hour. This puts these people on the threshold of poverty. Firstly, there has never been a significant increase in the minimum wage in the past. The largest increase was 25 cents per hour which occurred in February of 2007.According to government figures, an estimated 200,000 workers earn minimum wage in Ontario, 4.3 per cent of the workforce. Two-thirds of them are women and many are immigrants and single parents. More than half are students. Nearly 1.2 million workers in Ontario are paid less than $10 an hour.If more money is paid in the minimum wage, more money will be put back into the economy which in turn will increase jobs. Not all of this money will be paid out of the private sectors' pocket -- businesses which are privately owned and operated. According to the Canadian Social Research Links Website, 22% of minimum wage jobs in Ontario are paid to individuals who work in the public sector or government jobs funded by tax-payers' money.Finally, an improvement in the standard of living for these individuals, will allow them to take advantage of opportunities to return to school or to take online courses, particularly college or university courses, which cost on average $10,000 per year. This way they can upgrade their skills and education in order to be more likely to get a higher paying job.

4. Summarize your stand.Not only will raising the minimum wage allow certain individuals to have a better standard of living, it will also boost the economy of Ontario and likely stimulate an influx of individuals into the workforce.

First Negative1) Introduce your position.Recognize the affirmative's ideas.Accept or substitute the definition of terms.State the negative's position.2) Attack and question the affirmative's idea that the change they advocate is needed. (Give proof that there is no need for change.)3) Conclude.Summarize your statements.Ask the second affirmative to answer your questions.1. Introduce your position.

a. Recognize the affirmative's ideas.Although the affirmative position is an honourable one, it is not realistic or viable for small or large companies to increase the rate of pay for minimum wage workers so dramatically and so quickly.b. Accept or substitute the definition of terms.It is true that, at the moment the general minimum wage or rate of hourly pay which is the lowest possible rate which any employer may pay in Ontario is $8.00 for adults and $7.50 for students under the age of 18 who work fewer than 28 hours per week. However, what the opposition has failed to tell you is that the minimum wage underwent an increase from $6.85 an hour to $8.00 an hour within the last 12 months.Also, the annual salary calculations provided by the affirmative is incorrect. They said, and I quote, "an individual who earns the minimum wage has an income of $14,200 per year, presuming that individual works 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year plus two weeks of paid vacation." In fact, the annual income would be in excess of $16,000 per year, an amount which is in fact above the poverty level they themselves provided.

c. State the negative's position.We oppose this resolution on the basis that raising the minimum wage dramatically again will put the provincial minimum wage above $11.00. This change is unnecessary and will cause a spike in the inflation rate in our province since other wages will rise accordingly. This will not lessen the gap between wages or the poverty rate in the province.

2. Attack and question the affirmative's idea that the change they advocate is needed. (Give proof that there is no need for change.)The minimum wage is typically paid for entry level positions and part time workers. If it were not for these entry level jobs, there would not be jobs available for many people who, as you pointed out, lack the skills, education, or experience to find higher paying jobs. According to one such employer, the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA), given the labour-intensive, or "unskilled" nature of some industries, minimum wage policies have a significant effect on the industry's ability to hire, train and retain young workers.The CRFA reports that it "is Canada's largest hospitality association, representing over 35,000 members across the country, including 10,000 members in Ontario. Ontario's restaurant and foodservice industry represents one of the largest sectors of the provincial economy with sales of $20.6 billion representing 3.7% of GDP. With 384,400 people in Ontario on its payroll, it is one of the province's largest private sector employers. The industry's workforce represents 5.9% of the province's total employment."In their letter to Mr. John Tory, MPP dated March 16, 2007, they make references to "A comprehensive literature review by Dr. Morley Gunderson sponsored by the Federal Government in Oct 2006 for the Federal Labour Standards Review found that there was little if any evidence of a positive impact on poverty as a result of an increase in the wage." Gunderson's report concluded that raising minimum wages would be a disadvantage in the battle to conquer issues of poverty. He stated, it is, "at best an exceedingly blunt instrument for dealing with poverty, and may actually have a perverse effect, exacerbating poverty."

3. Conclude.

a. Summarize your statements.Increasing Ontario's minimum wage will not improve lives of low-income Ontarians. A broader anti-poverty strategy is required. Increasing the minimum wage would more likely be the cause catastrophic shifts in the inflation rate in this great province of ours.b. Ask the second affirmative to answer your questions.I would also ask the opposition to explain how businesses are meant to survive if they are paying nearly 30% more in wages if they are not earning more than they were before. How is it they imagine that their proposal, if accepted, would not lead to high inflation rates?

Second Affirmative Constructive SpeechReply to the attack of the first negative.Attack the first negative's case.Repeat the first affirmative's position and the need.Prove that your ideas are practical.Conclude:

Summarize the entire case.Strongly ask the audience to accept your proposal.Summarize the entire case.Strongly ask the audience to accept your proposal.

Second Negatives Constructive SpeechReply to the Second Affirmative's attack.Restate the Negative's Opinion.Attack the Affirmative's Case:Prove that it is not practical.Prove that it is not desirable.Conclude:Summarize the Case.Urge the audience to reject the proposition.Summarize the Case.Urge the audience to reject the proposition.