Fallacies

I really enjoyed the reading for today about the 7 deadly sins. I think its crazy that these fallacies are everywhere around us and I know that I'm guilty of using them in arguments even though I know they aren't exactly addressing the issue at hand.
I know that ones like the bad example and false analogy come up a lot in arguments with other people, and I'm definitely one to fall for ads containing these "sins" in them.
I will now be more able to recognize these in everyday life and will now be more aware of the kind of arguments that I make.

The Seven Deadly Logical Sin

I found this reading by Heinrich to be both easy to understand and interesting. All of the fallacies that he presents can be seen in our everyday lives. The second deadly sin, the bad example, is one that I see quite often. This takes place when the examples used in everyday life, fail to prove a conclusion. The example given in the book, pertaining to crime, shows how people believe unrepresentative examples to reach a conclusion. In the example people believe that crime has increased due to what they see on televion. In reality, the level of crime has actually decreased in the past couple of years. This is called misinterpreting the evidence. After reading this I realized that this really is something that happens in everyday life.

Chewbacca Defense

Great example of how this fallacy was used. When I first watched that show I did not realize just how similar those arguments were. Though the glove was at least related it still does not have that much significance in the case to allow for a acquittal. Another great read from this enjoyable author.

Thank You for Arguing

I always enjoy reading from Thank You for Arguing. There were some lines within the reading that even made me laugh. Every time I read from this book, I notice the passion Jay Heinrichs possesses for rhetoric. Within these chapters, Jay Heinrichs discusses many examples of common fallacies. Personally, this helps me connect with the reading. For example, I’m sure we have all heard the fallacy regarding that a child needs to eat everything on their plate because there are other children who are not fortunate enough to receive a meal each time they are hungry. Fortunately, my parents never used this fallacy on me. However, I will admit this fallacy is persuasive and does work on children.

7 deadly sins

Heinrich's seven deadly sin's are so interesting! Again, I'm going to say that I really like this book and how he incorporates learning to life. I know my mom always pulls the second deadly sin on me. Whenever I am at home, she never lets me do anything because of what she saw on the news!

second deadly sin

I thought reading about the second deadly sin was interesting. Pretty relevant to my life and im sure many others! I am very familiar with the hasty generalizations ("oh, the restaurant is owned by Mexicans, it must be delicious!") or ("That guy failed the exam? He must be a horrible student!") These generalizations don't take into account any factors or variables. Another common fallacy is misinterpreting the evidence.
There was also one line in the section we read that has stuck with me.
NEVER ARGUE THE INARGUABLE!!

Logical Fallacies

I never realized how many ways an argument could be weak. After reading this week's chapters in Thank You for Arguing, I realized that there are many logical fallacies being used everywhere. I'm sure that most people use these fallacies everyday and fall for them just as much. When do people really look at their arguments to see if they are committing one of the "Seven Deadly Logical Sins?" Although it is very interesting to understand these logical fallacies and be able to argue effectively, do most people even think about their arguments to such an extent?