OL Team Wiki Project 2 Logical Fallacies

Assignment: OL Team Wiki Project 2

Lemuel Algo

California Institute of Arts and Technology

ENG101-31 English Composition

Carolyn Toth, MS

November 23, 2020

Fallacies are a mistaken belief, especially one based on unsound arguments that are failure arguments, faulty reasoning, dishonest or incomplete thinking. To learn how to recognize fallacies, you may identify them in opposing arguments and eliminate them from your own writing. In this part, the logical fallacies are group according to how to falsify an argument.

Distorting the Issue

These fallacies falsify an argument by twisting the logical framework, the act of altering something out of its true, natural, or original state.

Bare Assertion The most basic way to distort an issue is to deny that it exists. This fallacy makes no attempt to use logic to justify the conclusion, an argument by authority.

For example, if you are in the army there are situations where there is no time for debate. Your commanding office simply tells you. If you challenge the assertion you are likely to be shouted at or worse. The fallacy takes the form: it is true because I told you it is true.

Sabotaging the Argument

These fallacies falsify the argument by crumple it. They destroy reason and replace it with something hollow and misleading.

Use of Threats An expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage, an unethical way of sabotaging an argument is to threaten opponents.

For example, if you are arguing with an environmentalist, you may say that ‘tree huggers have no economic sense’. Therefore you do not actually engage in the debate but dismiss it on grounds that you have essentially fabricated.

Misusing Language

These fallacies falsify the argument by using incorrectly, misapply misused his language by the misleading use of words.

Slanted Language By choosing a word with strong positive or negative connotations, Language only becomes "slanted" (deviating from the upright) when it is deceptive or manipulative rather than persuasive.

For example, Saying someone "didn't have the guts to fight back." is a negative explanation of an event.