This presentation describes some few common Fallacies in our English Write-ups.

1. Eng105 Group
Presentation
Faculty Member ASm
Section 14
Group 5

2. Common Fallacies
So what is it?

3. Fallacy
Formal
Fallacy
Informal
Fallacy
Inductive
Deductive

4. There are many types of
Common Fallacies; some
of them are,

Hasty Generalization

Faulty use of Authority

“Post Hoc” or Doubtful Cause

False Analogy

“Ad Hominem”

False Dilemma

5. Hasty Generalization

6. Faulty use of Authority

7. “Post Hoc”
or
Doubtful Cause

8. “Post Hoc” or Doubtful
Cause
 Post
hoc, ergo propter hoc
After this, therefore because of this

9. False Analogy

10. Analogies which are merely
descriptive and offer no proof
of the connection between
two things compared is known
as False Analogy.

11. Example 1
In recent years a debate has emerged between weight loss professionals
about the wisdom of urging overweight people to lose weight for health
reasons. Susan Wooley director of the eating disorders clinic at the University
of Cincinnati and a professor of psychiatry, offered the following analogy in
defense of her view that dieting is dangerous.
She said “ We know that overweight people have higher mortality rate than thin
people. We also know that black people have a higher mortality rate than white
people. Do we subject black people to torturous treatments to bleach their skin?
Of course not. We have enough sense to know skin bleaching will not eliminate
sickle-cell anemia. So why do we have blind faith that weight loss will cure the
diseases associated with obesity”
Toynbee finds similarities between the limited reigns of other animal species
and the possible disappearance of the human race. For this analogy,
however, we need to ask whether the conditions of the past, so far as we
know them, at all resemble the conditions under which human existence on
earth might be terminated. Is the fact that human beings are also members
of the animal kingdom sufficient support for this comparison?

12. Example 2
Historians are fond of using analogical arguments to demonstrate that
particular circumstances prevailing in the past are being reproduced in the
present. They therefore feel safe in predicting that the present course of
history will follow that of the past. Arnold Toynbee argues by analogy that
humans tenure on earth maybe limited
He said “On the evidence of the past history of life on this planet, even the
extinction of the human race is not entirely unlikely. After all, the reign of man on
the Earth, if we are right in thinking that man established his present ascendancy in
the middle paleolithic age, is so far only about100,000 years old, and what is that
compared to the 500 million or 900million years during which life has been in
existence on the surface of this planet? In the past, other forms of life have
enjoyed reigns which have lasted for almost inconceivably longer periods - and
which yet at last have come to an end.”
But its clear that analogy between black skin and excessive weight does not
work. The color of one‟s skin does not cause sickle-cell anemia, but there is
an abundance of proof that excess weight influences mortality.

13. “Ad Hominem”

14. “Ad Hominem”

Ad Hominem means “against the man” in latin; “personal
attacks”

This argument focuses attention on people rather than on
arguments or evidence.


It attacks the person rather than the issue.
Example:
-We might hear someone complain, „‟What can the priest tell us
about marriage? He‟s never been married himself.‟‟ This
accusation ignores the validity of the advice the priest might
offer.
-An overweight patient might reject the advice on diet by an
overweight physician.

15. False Dilemma

16. It poses an “either-or” situation. False
dilemma is making a complex issue into
a simple one.

This may happen due to laziness or irresponsibility.

sometimes it is intentionally used in order to divert
the readers from the actual thing.

It also refers to narrowing alternative ideas despite
the fact that there are other alternatives too.

17. Thank You!