Reference no: EM133290595
Assignment:
Discussion: Fallacies
Fallacies are flaws in reasoning that weaken or invalidate an argument. In the "real world", we make and hear arguments all the time, and while they may sound convincing, they're not necessarily good ones! Learning to recognize fallacies is challenging, but it's essential if you want to avoid being fooled.
One of the best ways to learn to identify misinformation is to create it yourself. So in this discussion, you're going to formulate an argument using fallacious reasoning.
Instructions:
1-- Imagine that you're a student, it's the end of the semester, and you're failing this course because you didn't do the vast majority of the work, such as watching lectures or completing assignments.
Click "Reply." Write the professor an email arguing why you should pass the course, using at least four of the fallacies from lecture:
- Hasty generalization
- Cherry picking
- Single cause
- False choice
- Appeal to authority
- Appeal to emotion
- Ad hominem
- Red herring
- Slippery slope
- Appeal to the masses
- False equivalence
Important:
- Do NOT include the names of the fallacies in your "e-mail." The point is to argue using fallacies. For example, someone might claim, "Vitamin C is better for treating colds because it's natural." They wouldn't say, "I'm making a bad argument using an appeal to nature fallacy!"
- However, DO post a comment with your submission specifying the fallacies you used. Note: Failure to do so will result in a zero.
2 - After you make your initial post, please read your classmates' posts carefully and reply to at least 2 of your classmates. Identify and name the fallacies the other student used in their argument, and explain why it's fallacious.
Example: This is where you should point out, "You used an appeal to nature fallacy when you argued that 'Vitamin C is better for treating colds because it's natural.' Just because something is natural doesn't mean it's better."