Fallacies and Fallacious Arguments
Learn about fallacies and fallacious arguments with the help of a case study.
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A case study
Let’s imagine the following fictitious world situation.
Two neighboring countries, A and B, have a history of conflict over the last three decades and are almost always bitter and suspicious of each other. While the politicians and media on both sides of the border thrive on conflict, the general public and the economic well-being are in perpetually bad shape. Because of the worsening economy, farmers of Country A have decided to go on strike. Meanwhile, teachers in Country B are also on strike for similar reasons. Both groups have convened in their country’s capital cities. Three weeks into the protests, Country A’s protesting farmers have gained local and international media traction. Country B’s stricter policy around media has not let its protesting teachers earn much of the media spotlight yet. But when the head of the teachers’ union learned about the situation across the border in Country A, they found the pattern very familiar and ironic. Sitting governments, it seemed to the teachers’ union, were equally unreasonable everywhere. For the first time in decades, a demographic from one side of the enemy borderline felt so close to a sizeable demographic from across the conflicting border.
The international media portrayed the situation on the ground without much misrepresentation, as shown in the following image.
While the international media could calmly report from a distance, the protesting teachers from Country B were especially upset reading reports from their own local newspapers, as represented in the following image.
While some of the news about the situation had a touch of propaganda, at least a few reputable local newspapers from Country B presented a balanced analysis, like their international counterparts.
However, as soon as the protesting teachers came across the statements of the neighboring Country A’s sitting ministers, they couldn’t help but draw parallels with their own situation and ponder on how their own government was treating them.
The following image depicts the local headlines from across the border.
From this case study, we can learn how easy it is to emotionally place blame where it doesn’t belong. However, the news did have a disclaimer: “The Premier, however, did not elaborate on what basis he claimed the involvement of the neighboring country.”
Logical fallacies have forms
Just like we saw at the start of the course, there are forms of correct reasoning that logicians have historically studied and curated. Similarly, logicians have also studied incorrect reasoning. Fortunately, when such incorrect reasoning is displayed, it follows certain forms. We need to study them to recognize them when encountered.
Because of these repeated forms of illogical reasoning, teachers of Country B saw that the sitting ministers of their own country used the same illogical arguments to discredit their organic movement that the politicians from across the border used at their end. For instance, they saw that the populist-nationalist leaders appealed to the sentiments of their common mass supporters while issuing otherwise unprovable statements, as exhibited in the newspapers.
But appeal to emotion is just one type of incorrect reasoning. Many other types of fallacies are commonly employed in daily life situations, and this chapter will introduce many of them.
Types of Fallacies
Fallacies | Definition |
Relevance | Relevance fallacies occur when the premises presented in an argument are not relevant to the conclusion. The information provided may not logically support the conclusion drawn. |
Defective Induction | Detective induction may refer to a specific type of inductive reasoning, where the premises lead to a conclusion without sufficient evidence. |
Ambiguity | Ambiguity fallacies arise when the meaning of a term or phrase within an argument is unclear or has multiple interpretations. The lack of clarity can lead to confusion and misinterpretation of the argument's premises and conclusion. |
Pause and reflect
It’s a mistake to imagine that logical fallacies are committed only by politicians. We hear illogical forms of argument in our homes when someone says, “Because I said so,” which is commonly known as a fallacious appeal to authority or sometimes an appeal to force.
But this begs the question, why do humans do this? Why do so many fallacious arguments make rounds in the human world? Perhaps the hint to its answer lies within the question—because we are “humans!” Being human, no doubt, entails being logical, but it’s an equally human characteristic to believe in something, to dream, and to eventually be sloppy with our thought.
Here are two important points of reflection, nevertheless:
Let’s commit to practicing correct forms of reasoning while recognizing and avoiding incorrect forms in our daily lives.
Let’s not be harsh to the people around us and start accusing them of committing fallacies. Let’s promise to tread being logical with empathy.
Robert Frost comes in handy here.
Exercise
Imagine you’re one of the protesting teachers and are given an opportunity to present your demand for a salary raise. What kind of argument would you pitch in front of the sitting ministers? They let you have three attempts. Give it a shot and let our AI-enabled tool act as one of the ministers.