LESSON 5
DIFFERENT
FALLACIES
Introduction
•Philosophizing involves the gift of
speech and the gift of intelligence that
enable us to reason out and detect the
falsity or truthfulness of a statement.
LOGIC
• Branch of philosophy that focuses
on the analysis of arguments
• Studies and elaborates on good
argumentation.
• Study of correct thinking and
reasoning
•When one reasons out, he/she
expresses his opinion and when
others disagree, then argument
begins
•Philosophical parlance argument is not an
emotional reptilian word war or a territorial show
of force between persons but a philosophical
method in knowing the truth of a certain
phenomenon or reality.
• It is a set of statements which includes the
premises and conclusion
Fallacy
•Group of statement that appear to be
arguments, but fail to support the conclusion.
•Ex.
•There is no hope in the Philippine government,
because the Philippines is a tropical country.
1. Argumentum ad Hominem
“Attacking the Person”
•Hominem came from Latin word
“homo” which means man.
•This fallacy literally means hitting the
person below the belt instead of
focusing on the issue at hand.
EXAMPLES
1. “How can we believe him when he talks
about social distancing, he is a lawyer who
is a liar.”
2. “Of course he believes that the
government is flawed, he is a rebel and a
Communist!”
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2. Argumentum ad Baculum
(Appeal to Force)
•Baculum is a Latin word which means
scepter or stick. A scepter is a symbol
of authority. Normally it is the Pope who
carries it in his hands.
This is committed when a person uses threat or
force to advance an argument.
EXAMPLES
1. “TV Patrol is the best news program on
TV. If you don’t believe me, I won’t let
you watch the TV.
2. “If this peace agreement will not be
signed by the government, then we will
have no recourse but to go to war.”
3. Argumentum ad Misercordiam
(Appeal to Pity)
•Misercordiam came from Latin word
Misericordia which means pity or
compassion. A person uses emotion
such as pity to convince someone
EXAMPLES
1. “Forgive me officer, there are lot of boarders
in this apartment including myself. Only the
owner was issued a quarantine pass. We
don’t have food, we can’t give our ATM to
the owner. That’s why I went out. So I did
not violate the Bayanihan Act Heal as One.”
EXAMPLES
“All these charges are baseless; this is just
plain harassment- can’t you see how this is
affecting my family?”
4. Argumentum ad Populum
“Appeal to people”/ Bandwagon fallacy
•Populum is the Latin word for people.
Most of TV commercials are guilty of
this argument which exploit people’s
vanity, desires, etc.
EXAMPLES
1. “I’m sure you want to have an Iphone.
Almost 80% of your schoolmates are
using it.”
2. “Every boy your age already has a
girlfriend, you should go find one!”
5. Argumentum ad Tradition
“Appeal to Tradition”
•Traditio means tradition. Advancing an
idea since it has been practice for a long
time.
EXAMPLES
1. All of us in the family, from our ancestors up to
now, are devout Catholics, so it is only right
that you will be baptized as a Catholic.
2. “Marriage should be between a man and a
woman. It has been so for a long time in this
country; it should remain so today and in the
future.”
6. Argumentum ad Ignorantiam
“Appeal to Ignorance”
•Ignorantiam a Latin word for
ignorance. Whatever has been proven
false must be true and vice versa.
6. Argumentum ad Ignorantiam
“Appeal to Ignorance”
•Committed when a person could not give a
counter argument or if he/she could not
present any evidences or witnesses to prove
or disprove the statement of another, his/
her assertions are correct and the opponent
is wrong.
EXAMPLES
1. According to Zecharia Sitchin, the author of the
book “Cosmic Code, “Adam was the first test
tube baby. Since nobody proves otherwise,
therefore it is true.”
2. “I am sure that the students have understood
the instructions perfectly well because no one
raised a hand to ask anything on them.”
7. Petitio Principii
(Begging the Question)
•it is a fallacy in which a conclusion is
taken for granted in the premises.
• Assuming the thing or idea to be
proven is true
•Also called-“circular argument.”
EXAMPLES
1. “God exists because the Bible says so.
The Bible is inspired. Therefore we know
that God Exists.”
2. “I have the right to free speech, therefore
you cannot stop me from talking.”
EXAMPLES
1. What is a declarative sentence? It is a
sentence that declares.”
2. “Cheating is wrong because it is
immoral”
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8. Hasty Generalization
•This fallacy is committed when one
reaches a generalization based on
insufficient evidence.
EXAMPLES
1. Our neighbor who is a police officer was
convicted of being a drug dealer,
therefore, all police officers are drug
dealers.
9. Cause and Effect
•Assuming that the effect is related to a
cause because both events occur one
after the other.
EXAMPLES
1. “My teacher didn’t collect the homework
two weeks in a row when my friend was
absent. Therefore, my friend being
absent is the reason why my teacher
doesn’t collect the homework.”
9. Cause and Effect
(Post Hoc, Ergo, Propter Hoc)
•Assuming that the effect is related to a
cause because both events occur one
after the other.
•Assuming a “cause-and-effect”
relationship between unrelated events.
EXAMPLES
1. “My teacher didn’t collect the homework
two weeks in a row when my friend was
absent. Therefore, my friend being
absent is the reason why my teacher
doesn’t collect the homework.”
EXAMPLES
1. “Ever since you bought that sweater,
everything has been going wrong in
your life. You should get rid of it.”
2. “Jen comes to class just as the bell rings
every day. Jen’s arrival at class causes
the bell to ring.”
10. Fallacy of Composition
•Infers that something is true of a part,
is true of a whole.
•Individual to all
EXAMPLES
1. “You are a doctor, therefore you came
from a family of doctors.”
2. These cases of robbery in this district
have convinces me that the city has
become a den of thieves and criminals”
11. Fallacy of Division
•Infers that something is true of the
whole, must also be true on its parts
•All to individual
EXAMPLES
1. “Your family is smart, therefore you are
smart.”
2. You come from a family of doctors and
intellectuals! Surely you can do better in
this course!”
12. Fallacy of Equivocation
•Using the same term in a different
situation with different meaning.
EXAMPLES
1. “Humans walk by their legs. The table
has legs. Therefore the table walks by its
legs.”
2. A ruler measures 12 inches, Mayor Isko
Moreno is a ruler; therefore, Mayor Isko
is 12 inches.”
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