Informal Fallacies
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Today, as the finale to the entire course, we learn how to argue about the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, and alien abductions (among other things). I refer, of course, to fallacies of presumption, which are a kind of logical cheating.
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Some arguments marred by fallacies seem merely weak, whereas others seem to shoot off quite strongly in the wrong direction. In this lecture, we explore the latter group–the fallacies of misdirection.
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We continue our survey of informal fallacies with five ways in which people often try to appeal to our emotions. There’s nothing wrong with that–as long as we recognize the difference between emotional appeal and logical argument–between pathos and logos.
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In this final lecture of chapter 2, we cover three more fallacies of clarity plus the “golden rule” for dealing with ambiguities. I also offer some advice on how to make a study guide for this or any other course.
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In this lecture, we cover our first widely recognized fallacy: equivocation. Along the way, we also cover the general topic of fallacies, and why there is no universally recognized list of them. Finally, we cover the extremely important principle of “hermeneutical generosity.”
Logic Lectures 