Fallacies and Generalizations
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- Category: English
- Date Submitted: 10/21/2010 09:02 AM
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Fallacies and Generalizations
“When writers present evidence to support a position, it must be compelling, reliable, timely, and relevant.” pg 211
Fallacies and generalizations are both different types of arguments. In this paper I would like to show the different types of fallacies and generalizations, and show the differences between the two.
A fallacy is also known as a flawed argument. Sometimes, writers use fallacies unknowingly or accidentally, and some writers use them intentionally because they sound somewhat logical. An example of a fallacy is called the either-or fallacy or the false dilemma. This fallacy offers a complex situation as having two different sides. An example of a false dilemma is like, “the universe could not have been created from nothing, so it must have been created by an intelligent life force.” A false analogy is an analogy that compress two unlike things. A false analogy assumes that because an issue, a concept, a person, and so forth, is similar to another issue, concept, or person in some kind of way. For example, “Employees are like nails. Just as nails must be hit in the head in order to make them work, so must employees.” Another example of a false analogy is, “leaving the Titanic and other sunken vessels at the bottom of the sea is like dumping garbage into our oceans, another form of pollution.” Red herring fallacy is a fallacy that shifts the focus of the reader away from the main argument. For example, “the newest makeup on the market is being banned by environmentalists, but the manufacturer is a big contributer to the March of Dimes.” I use red herring alot, but I never realize I do. My mom always ask me to do my chores and they better be done before she gets back from the store. However, when she comes back my chores are not completed. My excuse most of the time is that, “I got caught up in a game or a show that was really good and I just wanted to finish it.” Bandwagon fallacy invites readers to jump the...
“When writers present evidence to support a position, it must be compelling, reliable, timely, and relevant.” pg 211
Fallacies and generalizations are both different types of arguments. In this paper I would like to show the different types of fallacies and generalizations, and show the differences between the two.
A fallacy is also known as a flawed argument. Sometimes, writers use fallacies unknowingly or accidentally, and some writers use them intentionally because they sound somewhat logical. An example of a fallacy is called the either-or fallacy or the false dilemma. This fallacy offers a complex situation as having two different sides. An example of a false dilemma is like, “the universe could not have been created from nothing, so it must have been created by an intelligent life force.” A false analogy is an analogy that compress two unlike things. A false analogy assumes that because an issue, a concept, a person, and so forth, is similar to another issue, concept, or person in some kind of way. For example, “Employees are like nails. Just as nails must be hit in the head in order to make them work, so must employees.” Another example of a false analogy is, “leaving the Titanic and other sunken vessels at the bottom of the sea is like dumping garbage into our oceans, another form of pollution.” Red herring fallacy is a fallacy that shifts the focus of the reader away from the main argument. For example, “the newest makeup on the market is being banned by environmentalists, but the manufacturer is a big contributer to the March of Dimes.” I use red herring alot, but I never realize I do. My mom always ask me to do my chores and they better be done before she gets back from the store. However, when she comes back my chores are not completed. My excuse most of the time is that, “I got caught up in a game or a show that was really good and I just wanted to finish it.” Bandwagon fallacy invites readers to jump the...