Fallacy Finds
As an exercise in recognizing fallacies to better avoid them in your own writing, I would like you to attempt finding and identifying three fallacies.
To begin, please read all the subheading pages under “Logic in Argumentative Writing”on the Owl website. You can also learn about fallacies in this OER book, The Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments. After becoming familiar with the kinds of different fallacies, begin to look for them in writing and in the media. (Advertisements can be a fruitful place to find fallacies.)
~Once you have found an example of a type of fallacies, post that example, along with a link to where you found the fallacy, or you might attach a pdf copy of the fallacy if you found it in print. If you saw or heard the fallacy on television or the radio, you should state where you saw/heard the fallacy and describe it.
~Within your post, you should also try to classify what type of fallacy it is (e.g. either/or, slippery slope, etc.) and why you believe it to be that kind of fallacy. The fallacies cannot all be from the same source. You may also look for fallacies on television or the radio but you must note exactly where and when you saw the example of a fallacy and describe, in depth, what it is. If you can find an online link, please include it.
Your post should contain:
1. a description of the fallacy
2. the type of fallacy you believe it is
3. the source of the fallacy,
4. a short written explanation as to why you believe you identified it correctly.
You absolutely may not do an online search for the name of a specific fallacy (e.g. red herring, either/or, sweeping generalization) and then post whatever your search pulled up. You must find and identify the fallacies on your own.
