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Chapter 11


In this chapter on fallacy claims, I think the biggest foundation is honesty.  When you look at any of the other topics we have looked at (evidence, values, etc.), we learned that we need to be able to have proof and background to support our argument.  In this chapter, we learned that we need to give accurate information to the decision makers, otherwise we are providing misleading information.  The book argues that using fallacies is inappropriate, but I would argue it is more than inappropriate, and that it is completely wrong.  I think using fallacies can harm your reputation and that is so important when making arguments.  I also wonder why a person would want to provide bad information.  I think that it is always best to give the best, 100% accurate information so that the best decision can actually be made, even if the decision is not what you would have wanted. 

Comments

  1. Hey!

    I agree with what your point is on honesty. I think during refutation people can tend to get stressed out and more aggressive in order to get their point across, this can lead to people to provide distorted facts or just straight up false facts, which is a very dangerous and bad thing. Some people might not even think twice about the claims you are making and will believe whatever you say, leading to them believing this false information and maybe even spreading it. Also, when arguing, we want it to be productive and to learn from it, by using untrue claims, it makes it difficult to actually get anywhere in an argument and can make the whole debate useless.

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