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fandomhigh2010-06-03 01:01 am
steel-not-glass.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2010-06-03 01:01 am
Entry tags:
Logical Fallacies, Thursday, Period 3
Today there was iced coffee on the desk; it was far too hot for the regular kind. "So, I'm sure that any of you who are familiar with modern politics has heard of the slippery slope argument. It's entirely possible you've heard of it even if you don't follow modern politics. It's a common logical fallacy and such things transcend time and place."
"The slippery slope uses a kind of visual metaphor; once a rock is dropped down the slope, it will keep falling until it hits the bottom. In an argument, this is likened to a single idea or action that, once implemented, will continue to move towards a much bigger, negative conclusion. However, this chain cannot be linked together by facts or logic. For example, in the current debate about same-sex marriage, some politicians against such measures claim that once two people of the same sex are given the right to marry, then we are opening the door to three people marrying, incestuous marriages, and even inter-species marriages." Cindy rolled her eyes a bit. "Regardless of how you feel about the issue at hand, there's no cause for such sloppy and fallacious arguments."
"Not all arguments that suggest one action will lead to another is fallacious. If one can logically prove that Action A will lead to B, and Action B will lead to C, then saying Action A will lead to C is just the transitive property at work. For example, arguing that drinking my coffee will get me caffeinated and being caffeinated will keep me up all night, therefore, drinking my coffee will keep me up all night is accurate, assuming all three arguments were true. If, however, I wasn't particularly susceptible to caffeine and one cup of coffee would not keep me awake, then we're back to the slippery slope. There are several similar techniques; I've included in the handouts for you to look over."
[OCD up and ready!]
"The slippery slope uses a kind of visual metaphor; once a rock is dropped down the slope, it will keep falling until it hits the bottom. In an argument, this is likened to a single idea or action that, once implemented, will continue to move towards a much bigger, negative conclusion. However, this chain cannot be linked together by facts or logic. For example, in the current debate about same-sex marriage, some politicians against such measures claim that once two people of the same sex are given the right to marry, then we are opening the door to three people marrying, incestuous marriages, and even inter-species marriages." Cindy rolled her eyes a bit. "Regardless of how you feel about the issue at hand, there's no cause for such sloppy and fallacious arguments."
"Not all arguments that suggest one action will lead to another is fallacious. If one can logically prove that Action A will lead to B, and Action B will lead to C, then saying Action A will lead to C is just the transitive property at work. For example, arguing that drinking my coffee will get me caffeinated and being caffeinated will keep me up all night, therefore, drinking my coffee will keep me up all night is accurate, assuming all three arguments were true. If, however, I wasn't particularly susceptible to caffeine and one cup of coffee would not keep me awake, then we're back to the slippery slope. There are several similar techniques; I've included in the handouts for you to look over."
[OCD up and ready!]