An assignment of the Critical Thinking lecture
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3. Appeal to Force/Fear
An arguer threatens harm to a reader or listener and
his threat is irrelevant to the truth of the arguer’s
conclusion
Creating fear in people does not constitute evidence
for a claim
Examples:“You should believe God exists because, if you don't, when you die
you will be judged and God will send you to Hell for all of eternity. You
don't want to be tortured in Hell, do you? If not, it is a safer bet to
believe in God than to not believe.”
“You should believe God exists because, if you don't, when you die
you will be judged and God will send you to Hell for all of eternity. You
don't want to be tortured in Hell, do you? If not, it is a safer bet to
believe in God than to not believe.”
6. Bandwagon Argument
The fallacy of attempting to win
popular assent to a conclusion by
arousing the feeling and enthusiasms
of the multitude
Gimme a break.
Everyone
smokes. Popular ideas
are not always
the RIGHT one!
7. Begs the Question
Circular reasoning
Not persuasive. If the premise is
doubted, so is the conclusion.
Intentionally used to evade or ignore
the question
Christian: Because it says so in
the Bible.
Christian: The Bible is the word
of God.
Me: How do you know it's right?
Me: How do you know it's the
word of God?
Christian: Because the Bible is
the word of God.
8. Ad Hominem
An argument made personally against
an opponent instead of against their
argument
9. Red Herring
a logical fallacy that misleads or
detracts from the issue
How it works?
10. Example of Red Herring
"I think there is great merit in making the
requirements stricter for the graduate
students. I recommend that you support it,
too. After all, we are in a budget crisis and
we do not want our salaries affected."