Fallacies

Moralistic Fallacy

Definition: The belief that what is desirable is found or inherent in nature. It presumes that what ought to be-- something deemed preferable-- corresponds with what is or what naturally occurs. Thing that are undesirable are therefore going against what is supposed to be right. 

Infected: If men and women ought to be given equal opportunities, women and men can do everything equally well. 

Cured: Although women and men ought to be given equal opportunities, statistics show that men and women function differently, have different brains, and different body structures thus making women and men not capable of doing everything the same. 

To Avoid Future Outbreaks: Humans need to accept the fact that not everything is going to be  agreeable to you, but something that goes against what you believe in, is not necessarily incorrect. 

Appeal to Pity

Definition: This is an appeal in which a person substitutes a claim intended to create pity for evidence in an argument, using someone's emotions. 

Infected: A person applying for a job and being positive that his work will meet their requirements. After all he says, his grandmother is sick and he really needs this job. 

Cured: The person looking at his qualifications bases his decision on if he meets the requirements and only that, despite his grandmother being sick they need someone who can do the job adequately. 

To Avoid Future Outbreaks: One has to focus on the issue and for that moment in time not let their emotions effect their decision. 

Post Hoc

Definition: Since that event followed this one, that event must have been caused by this one. 

Infected Area: More and more young people are attending high schools and colleges today than ever before. Yet there is more juvenile delinquency and more alienation among the young. This makes it clear that these young people are being corrupted by their education.

Cured Idea: More and more people are attending high schools and colleges because they want a good paying job when they are older. Yet they are becoming juvenile delinquents because they want money now as well. 

Way to Avoid Future Outbreaks: One has to think about the actual probability that one thing caused the other. 

Appeal to Authority

Definition: Accepting an authority's argument when you shouldn't, the person with authority believes their power makes them correct. 

Infected Idea: Reincarnation  exists. After all, Albert Einstein believed in it.

Cured Idea: Albert Einstein believed in reincarnation, Einstein was a top expert in Physics therefore this is a possibility. 

Way to Avoid Future Outbreaks: Anybody can claim to have authority, and even if they do, their claims can always be viewed with scepticism unless the figure is a legitimate expert on the subject. 

False Dilemma

Definition: Involves a situation in which limited alternatives are considered, when in fact there is at least one additional option. This dilemma happens when a person is faces with choosing from two things which is right and which is wrong. 

Infected Area: "Look, you are going to have to make up your mind. Either you decide that you can afford bus tickets, or you will have to miss school for a while." 

Cured Idea: Telling the person that they have to decide whether they can afford bus tickets, or they might have to find other possible solutions to getting to school. 

Way to Avoid Future Outbreaks: When making a decision a person should make sure they consider all possibilities instead of looking at only the possibilities presented and basing their decision on that. 

Appeal to Wealth

Definition: Concluding that a statement's truth value is affected by a party's financial situation. 

Infected: Ben was in a fighter with a co-worker and her boss. Ben decided to side with her boss because he knew that he was wealthier assuming he was more intelligent. 

Cured: Ben is deciding to look at both arguments equally because he realized that people are only as intelligent as their brains are, no matter what salary they have. 

Way to Avoid Future Outbreaks: It is unintelligent to assume that one is smarter because of their wealth, listen to the words and thoughts to determine the knowledge of someone.