Fallacies and the Debate Process

“Fallacies are usually easy to detect in isolation, but woven into the context of an argument, they may go unnoticed.”

Freely and Steinberg, Argumentation and Debate (11th ed.)

Cicero’s Five Canons Invention Arrangement Elocution/Style Memory Delivery

Fallacies can occur within each of these canons

Fallacies of Reasoning Hasty Generalizations False Dichotomy Circular Reasoning False cause: single cause/Post Hoc Slippery Slope

Fallacies of evidence Begging the

question Non Sequitar Ad Hominem Straw Man

Fallacies of Appeal Appeal to Ignorance/Lack Appeal to People/Popularity Appeal to Emotion Appeal to Authority Appeal to Tradition

Fallacies of Language Ambiguity and

Equivocation Emotional

Language Technical Jargon

Application Quickly break into 8 groups and

work on the statement assigned to your group. Fallacy or sound? If fallacy, which one(s)? Who will speak for your group?

Application: Fallacy or Not? Bill Clinton was elected president

and then the economy improved. Therefore the election of Clinton was responsible for the improved economy.

Application: Fallacy or Not? I think crime is getting out of control

in our city. I heard last night on the radio that the corner Scotchman was held up.

Application: Fallacy or Not? Either O.J. Simpson was guilty of the

murders and the blood evidence is legitimate, or O.J. is innocent and the blood evidence was planted by the L.A. police department.

Application: Fallacy or Not? Great question: Do I support the

Brady Bill? I know the Brady family well. They are personal friends. I think what happened to Jim was a tragedy. I think we should take very strong measures to ensure that such an event does not happen again. If elected, that’s what I’ll do.

Application: Fallacy or Not? I can’t believe that some people

believe in evolution. What are the odds of a rabbit turning into an elephant? Such a notion is idiotic.

Application: Fallacy or Not? Scientists are very intelligent

people, because if they weren’t intelligent they would not be scientists.

Application: Fallacy or Not? Students have asked for a study

space in the library that allows for food and drinks. That request should be denied. If we give them this space then they will want to take food into the library and computer labs and damage computers and texts as well.

Application: Fallacy or Not? I have never understood why one

person would want to stay married to the same person. It must bet very old. It’s like eating your favorite food. You may really like it, but if you eat it every day and nothing, it would lose its appeal very quickly.

Next Time Elements of

debate and the Toulmin Model

Keep reading! Keep researching! Quiz on readings

since last quiz