Chapter 11 of the textbook discusses refutation by fallacy claims. Fallacies are individual errors in reasoning that are subject to refutation. The textbook says that “a fallacy claim asserts that an argument must be rejected because it violates a significant rule of argumentation relevant to the appropriate decision makers. The textbook also gives three characteristics central to the concept of fallacy. First when charging that an argument makes a fallacy you must prove it to the decision makers in a satisfactory way. In order to prove a fallacy you cannot merely point it out to the decision makers, you must instead pinpoint the issue and prove that it is, in fact, a fallacy. Second a fallacy claim is significant and cannot just be nit-picking an argument. A fallacy cannot just be a small slip of the tongue for example it must be a significant deviation from the appropriate practices of argumentation. Finally a fallacy claim is dependent on a significant rule of argumentation and for the fallacy claim to be appropriate the decision makers must be adherent to that rule of argumentation.
I think that fallacies are very interesting because in part of how often we see them in real world arguments and how often they go unnoticed or unrefuted. People employ fallacies all the time in political argument and elsewhere and they are accepted and not challenged most of the time. I think this is detrimental to argumentation. But it is true, people use fallacies all the time.
I think that fallacies are very interesting because in part of how often we see them in real world arguments and how often they go unnoticed or unrefuted. People employ fallacies all the time in political argument and elsewhere and they are accepted and not challenged most of the time. I think this is detrimental to argumentation. But it is true, people use fallacies all the time.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with your point that people use fallacies all the time. It is frustrating when people are using fallacies against your position, or it is frustrated to hear people using fallacies to argue against another point. It is a waste of time. In my perspective, fallacies are also useful in some way, it gets people to speak up whether to argue against fallacies or making fallacies. It is better than not talking. I am a shy person, and I usually shout up when other people are making arguments, not only because I am a shy person, but also because I am afraid to involve in a refutation. I feel like if I speak up, I would have made a good point, and I can take time to master my debates skill rather than sitting there saying nothing.
Why is it, do you think, that so many people let presenters get away with using fallacies? Is it simply a matter of not noticing or is it because the three criteria aren't well known or followed? I agree that politics is a place where we can easily find fallacies being used constantly, yet they are seldom called out. Furthermore, when they are called out, the accuser is often labeled as making a partisan attack. It seems dangerous to me that politics, the place where we see loads of unchecked fallacies, is also the field where these fallacies can have dramatic effects for large numbers of people. If fallacies slip by decision makers in politics, there can be huge amounts of mislegislation that has consequences for everyone. If this is the case, why then are we not more scrutinizing of politicians and their fallacies? Are there dangers of mislabeling fallacies? If so, could this be a reason for letting many of them slide?
ReplyDeleteFallacies will be present more often than not, especially when it comes to argumentation. One wants to do whatever it takes in order to prove that your statements are correct. Often time the reason why people accept fallacies during speeches is because they agree with the majority of their statements so they are not aware of the fallacies that they make. The effect of a stated fallacy, or fallacies, depends on in what setting it is being used. A politician presenting fallacies in their speeches will have a more significant effect than say a student giving a class speech. However, if one want to point out possible fallacies within a persons statement it should be done in a organized manner and it is important to make sure to have confirmed facts regarding the topic.
ReplyDeleteI think it is important to try and recognize these fallacies that more than often appear in the arguments that we get in to. Being able to recognize them and pinpoint them is crucial because it can make someone else's argument crumble because of an oversight in their logic. We can't stop these fallacies from coming up in our arguments, but we can be ready for them and learn to counter the opposition's claims if they happen to fall into one of these tropes. I also think that a reason people tend to use fallacies, intentionally or not, is because it seems like they contain a major statement with little to no effort as compared to a long winded, but credible, explanation that needs outside sources that are credible and other important details that many people find boring.
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