Fallacies of Logic and Debate
There are a lot of strategies and “do’s” and “don'ts”regarding arguments and debating. Some people have commented, probably correctly, that there seems to be an endless list of fallacies and never-ending advice on how to debate. It seems that way. Rather than attempting to be a complete and definitive source of information, the listing below, which we borrowed form someone else, (see citation below) is a sampling of concepts and only intended to lend an idea of how (not) to debate.
Our rules are much simpler: Don't be jerk; don't insult people; don't lie or be misleading. Just use reason and persuasion. Talk to people. Straight ahead and strive for tone as they say in the trumpet section.
Manipulation Through Language
Word Ambiguity - Uses vague or undefined words. Or use big words where small, simple ones would due.
Example: You could say he crossed the aisle or you could say our fellow colleague traversed the philosophical divide that separates our espoused positions.
Another Example: We've never had a teacher teach a class like that before.
Misleading Euphemism - Hides meaning by creating words which make less acceptable idea seems positive.
Example: He's an advocate for change. Time to “move on.”
PrejudicialLlanguage - Use loaded words that convey bias.
Example: He's a bigoted representative and economical with the truth, yet he sometimes votes fairly.
Manipulation Through Emotions
Appeal to fear - Seeks to persuade by arousing fear. It can be physical, mental or emotional fear. It all works.
Example: You'll lose everything if you support this.
Appeal to Pity - Seeks to persuade by arousing pity. Appear to be the victim, direct or indirect.
Example: He's really oppressed. We have to help him.
Appeal to False Authority - Seeks to persuade by citing a fake or inappropriate authority.
Example: That's what “the people” want.
Appeal to Bandwagon - Seeks to persuade by appealing to the wisdom of popular momentum.
Example: Everybody's doing it. Why shouldn't we?
Appeal to Prejudice
Personal Attack - Attacks a person’s character on matters irrelevant to the issue. Don't argue the point, criticize the person.
Example: He's stupid. He doesn't know any better. Don’t trust anything he says.
Poisoning the Well - Seeks to prejudice others against a person, group or idea so that their arguments will not be heard on their own merits. Pointing out “how bad it is over there” is always good for this point and others.
Example: They're racist if they object to that. Don't trust anything they say.
Manipulation Through Distraction
Red Herring - Diverts attention to other issues. Make it up is you have to.
Example: That's not the cause. It's global warming.
Pointing to Another Wrong - Claims that similar actions went unnoticed and unpunished.
Example: They didn't prosecute them for doing that, then. Why go after us, now?
Straw man - Attacks a minor point in an argument, then claims this maneuver invalidates the whole argument.
Example: You don't think we care?
4. Circular reasoning - Repeats the same conclusion in different words.
Example: I have a right to vote because it's legal for me to vote.
Inductive Fallacy Logic and Thinking
Hasty Generalization - Draws conclusion from insufficient sampling.
Example: Everybody does it.
Either-or fallacy - Asserts there are only two (extreme) choices while actually there are many.
Example: It's my way or the highway.You’re either for it or against it.
Questionable Statistics - Presents unknown or unsound statistics.
Example: 600 million people in the US do it.
Inconsistencies and Contradictions - Uses claims that contradict one another.
Example: America. Love it or leave it..
Loaded Questions - Uses a biased question.
Example: Have you stopped beating your wife?
False Analogy - Ignores significant differences when comparing two things.
Example: Students who attend schools with expansive music programs tend to perform much higher on standardized testing. So, all we have to do to lift poorer-performing schools is introduce more music classes
False Cause - Presents unreasonable claim of causal connection.
Example: You can either eat at this restaurant or have a sad TV dinner alone.
Slippery Slope - Presents unwarranted claim that one event would lead to chain reaction.
Example: If you don’t attend a good college, you won’t get a good job.
Lying is another possible tactic. You'll likely face consequences later, but it could work in the short term. Not really recommended. Please read our post on Bamboozling.
Attitude is important. Read our publication on Giving A Good Presentation. If your attitude is good, if you're positive and enthusiastic you'll get better results than if you're antagonistic and overly emotional.
The best thing you could do is just go out and talk to people. Anybody. Talk about the weather, likes, dislikes, things you agree on, things you disagree on, whatever. Just go out and talk to people. You'll like it. The more you talk to people, the better you will get at it. It's also recommended that you continue to your study of this interesting subject. There is an abundance of good books, Web Sites and materials; enough study materials to keep you occupied for a long time.
Citation
El Khoiri, Niamika & Widiati, Utami. (2017). Logical Fallacies in EFL Learners' Argumentative Writings. Dinamika Ilmu. 17. 10.21093/di.v17i1.638.
(download the list here)
