Consequences of Logical Mistakes

Since this isn’t a formal college course, we are going to unofficially sort consequences of the logical mistakes we just saw into a few casual categories: DISMISSAL, MISSING THE POINT, POWER GRAB, LAZINESS, and INADEQUACY

DISMISSAL

• hasty generalization; false dilemma; ad hominem

MISSING THE POINT

• red herring; straw man; appeals (all 3); ad hominem

POWER GRAB

• appeal to force; appeal to popular belief; appeal to authority; ad hominem

LAZINESS

• false dilemma; slippery slope; straw man/red herring; begging the question

INADEQUACY

• begging the question; appeals (all 3)

When put this way, it may be easier to see how reasoning isn’t the reason an argument or claim is persuasive. Whether someone is persuaded because the original point was wholly dismissed, or, ideas were rearranged and thus erroneously attacked, or, outright force (or laziness) was used, or, the LACK of believable information made persuasion easier, we can RATIONALLY see how (though occasionally effective) these are not good ways to support claims/beliefs.

Furthermore:

For people who care,

the consequence of these types of errors is that the speaker comes across as dismissive, lazy, and kind of mean.  

On the contrary,

when we care to be perceived as admirable, engaged, and considerate

(especially in meaningful conversations),

we owe it to everyone involved to MAKE BETTER ARGUMENTS.

I have learned that appealing to a person’s emotions isn’t the most effective way to evoke cognitive changes (but think about the elephants!). What is slightly more effective is appealing to common, baseline ways of being:

Most of us were scolded to not be lazy. 

Likewise, many of us were scolded to not be mean. While there are plenty of lazy and mean people in the world, it is something that popular culture doesn’t necessarily promote. So,

this course attempts to point out just how much we are being intellectually lazy and linguistically mean…and how we have the power to change those habits.