Fallacies
The choices that people make determine the shape of things to come. This observation holds true at the individual, organizational, national, and global level. Therefore, it is obvious that close attention needs to be paid to critical thinking ability or the way decisions are made. This inference can be drawn because critical thinking involves the formation of logical inferences, the development of cohesive and logical reasoning patterns, and careful and deliberate determination of whether to accept, reject, or suspend judgment. Thus, learning critical thinking skills can help an individual to recognize propaganda, analyze unstated assumptions in arguments, realize when there is deliberate deception, consider the credibility of information sources, and think a problem or decision through in as objective a manner as possible (Halpern, cited Simon & Kaplan; Stahl & Stahl; Moore & Parker, 1996, p. 5-6). In other words, learning to recognize and avoid unsound reasoning techniques or logical fallacies is a vital step in the critical thinking process. It is the objective of this paper to discuss the significance of three such logical fallacies to critical thinking: Appeal to Ignorance; Appeal to Authority; and Appeal to Popularity.
The Appeal to Ignorance fallacy, also known as "argumentum ad ignorantiam," is committed when a lack of knowledge about something is used in order to assert the correctness of a conclusion. This fallacy can occur in two forms. The positive version asserts that what has not been disproved must be true, while the negative version claims that what has not been proved cannot be true (Pirie). The important point to note about this particular logical fallacy is that the reasoning employed...
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Fallacies of Reasoning in TV Commercials The DIRECTV- Stop Taking in Stray Animals-Commercial The DIRECTV Commercial demonstrates the series of events that occurs when an individual has bad cable. The events are as follows: when you spend too much of your money on cable, you get angry and you start throwing things. When you start throwing things, people begin to think you have anger issues. Consequently, your schedule clears up because
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Wind Energy To what extent is wind power an effective from of renewable energy? The question is an important one when situated within the context of today's world of energy wars (as in the Middle East), air pollution causing cancer (as indicated by the World Health Organization), and more and more communities looking to "go green" all over the world. But what are the advantages and disadvantages of wind power? This
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