Empoword

Part Three: Research and Argumentation 246 It’s important to be able to recognize these so that you can critically interrogate others’ arguments and improve your own. Here are some of the most common logical fallacies: Fallacy Description Example Post hoc, ergo propter hoc “After this, therefore because of this” – a confusion of cause-and- effect with coincidence, attributing a consequence to an unrelated event. This error assumes that correlation equals causation, which is sometimes not the case. Statistics show that rates of ice cream consumption and deaths by drowning both increased in June. This must mean that ice cream causes drowning. Non sequitur “Does not follow” – a random digression that distracts from the train of logic (like a “red herring”), or draws an unrelated logical conclusion. John Oliver calls one manifestation of this fallacy “whataboutism,” which he describes as a way to deflect attention from the subject at hand. Sherlock is great at solving crimes; therefore, he’ll also make a great father. Sherlock Holmes smokes a pipe, which is unhealthy. But what about Bill Clinton? He eats McDonald’s every day, which is also unhealthy. Straw Man An oversimplification or cherry- picking of the opposition’s argument to make them easier to attack. People who oppose the destruction of Confederate monuments are all white supremacists. Ad hominem “To the person” – a personal attack on the arguer, rather than a critique of their ideas. I don’t trust Moriarty’s opinion on urban planning because he wears bowties.