By Hope Garland
In the words of the American rock-band REM, “Sometimes everything is wrong” and, in the spirit of civil discussion, sometimes everyone is wrong. While it is never easy to admit being wrong, being honest with oneself about mistaken arguments is essential to any constructive civil discussion. These are five logical fallacies to keep an eye out for in discussions and everyday life.
False Dilemma
“Woody Harrelson gave such a moving performance in ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri.’ If he doesn’t win the Oscar for best supporting actor then we’ll know the Oscars are rigged .”
Definition: Arguments that provide only two alternatives (when in reality there are more) are known as False Dilemmas. This assertion artificially limits the opposition’s response.
Red Herring
Jane: “I believe that ‘I-Tonya’ deserves this year’s Oscar for best picture.”
Matt: “‘I don’t think ‘I-Tonya’ should win an Oscar. Plus, the Oscars aren’t even important because everyone watches Netflix now.”
Definition: In a Red Herring, an argument is deliberately misdirected to divert attention away from the original position.
Begging the Question
“‘Black Panther’ is the best Marvel Studios superhero flick. This is true because every other Marvel Studios superhero flick is not as good.”
Definition: An argument is Begging the Question when it assumes that the conclusion is true. In this case, the conclusion for why the statement is true is included in the premise.
Ad Hominem
Anne: “‘Fifty Shades Freed was the best movie of 2018. It totally deserves an Oscar!”
Molly: “ Anne also liked ‘The Emoji Movie’ so her argument is completely invalid.”
Definition: Arguments that fall under this category focus on the character of the person on the other side of a debate instead of the evidence they present. Ad Hominem arguments are rooted in personal feelings about the opposition instead of logic around the issues.
Straw Man
Angela: “‘I learned so much about the Vietnam War when I watched ‘The Post.’ It was a good movie because it combined entertainment with education.”
Joey: “You say that you learned everything about the Vietnam War from a movie. Don’t you know that those are actors? It’s not the real history.”
Definition: A Straw Man is a rebuttal statements that misrepresents the opposition’s argument to make that argument easier to refute. The misrepresentation is often a distorted or exaggerated version of the argument.
