Understanding Fallacies

Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read the assigned chapters in your textbook and read the standardized guidance (under the “Lectures” tab), including watching the embedded videos, which will help you better to know the fallacies.

Your instructor will choose the discussion question and post it as the first post in the discussion forum. Answer all the questions in the prompt, and read any resources that are required to complete the discussion properly. Based on the selected prompt, you may need to review one or more of the interactive modules below to better prepare for your discussion:

• Buying a Car (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.: This scenario will introduce you to evaluating arguments.
• The Parking Garage (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.: This scenario will help you to examine your own biases and stereotypes.
• The Graduate (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.: This scenario will present several arguments and demonstrate how arguments appear in daily life and can be broken down into premise and conclusion form.
• PHI103 Informal Fallacies (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.: This practice activity will help you identify types of fallacies.
• PHI103 Rhetorical Devices Knowledge Check (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.: This practice activity will help in identifying rhetorical devices.

In addition, watch the video Fallacies (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.(displayed below).

Identify Three Fallacies

Once you learn the names of the major logical fallacies, you will probably start noticing them all over the place, including in advertisements, movies, TV shows, and everyday conversations. This can be both fascinating and frustrating, but it can certainly help you to avoid certain pitfalls in reasoning that are unfortunately very common. This exercise gives you a chance to practice identifying fallacies as they occur in daily life.

Prepare: Read through Chapter 7 of the course text, paying special attention to learning the names of common fallacies, biases, and rhetorical tricks.

Reflect: Search through common media sources looking for examples of fallacies. Some common places to find fallacies include advertisements, opinion pieces in news media, and arguments about politics, religion, and other controversial issues. You may also notice fallacies in your daily life.

Write: Present three distinct informal logical fallacies you have discovered in these types of sources or in your life. Make sure to identify the specific fallacy committed by each example. Explain how the fallacies were used and the context in which they occurred. Finally, explain how the person should have presented the argument in order to avoid committing this logical error.