How Logical Fallacy Invalidates Any Argument

How Logical Fallacy Invalidates Any Argument Fallacies are defects that cause an argument to be invalid, unsound, or weak. Logical fallacies can be separated into two general groups: formal and informal. A formal fallacy is a defect which can be identified merely by looking at the logical structure of an argument, rather than at any specific statements. Informal fallacies are defects which can be identified only through an analysis of the actual content of the argument. Formal Fallacies Formal fallacies are found only in deductive arguments with identifiable forms. One of the things which makes them appear reasonable is the fact that they look like and mimic valid logical arguments, but are in fact invalid. Here is an example: Premise: All humans are mammals.Premise: All cats are mammals.Conclusion: All humans are cats. Both premises in this argument are true, but the conclusion is false. The defect is a formal fallacy, and can be demonstrated by reducing the argument to its bare structure: All A are CAll B are CAll A are B It does not matter what A, B, and C stand for. We could replace them with wines, milk, and beverages. The argument would still be invalid for the exact same reason. It can be helpful to reduce an argument to its structure and ignore content in order to see if it is valid. Informal Fallacies Informal fallacies are defects which can be identified only through an analysis of the actual content of the argument, rather than through its structure. Here is an example: Premise: Geological events produce rock.Premise: Rock is a type of music.Conclusion: Geological events produce music. The premises in this argument are true but clearly, the conclusion is false. Is the defect a formal fallacy or an informal fallacy? To see if this is actually a formal fallacy, we have to break it down to its basic structure: A BB CA C This structure is valid. Therefore, the defect cannot be a formal fallacy and must instead be an informal fallacy that is identifiable from the content. When we examine the content, we find that a key term (rock) is being used with two different definitions. Informal fallacies can work in several ways. Some distract the reader from what is really going on. Some, like in the above example, make use of ambiguity to cause confusion. Defective Arguments There are many ways to categorize fallacies. Aristotle was the first to try to systematically describe and categorize them, identifying 13 fallacies divided into two groups. Since then,  many more have been described and the categorization has become more complicated. The categorization used here should prove useful, but it is not the only valid way of organizing fallacies. Fallacies of Grammatical Analogy Arguments with this defect have a structure that is grammatically close to arguments which are valid and make no fallacies. Because of this close similarity, a reader can be distracted into thinking that a bad argument is actually valid. Fallacies of Ambiguity With these fallacies, some sort of ambiguity is introduced either in the premises or in the conclusion itself. This way, an apparently false idea can be made to appear true so long as the reader does not notice the problematic definitions. Examples: Equivocation FallacyNo True Scotsman FallacyQuoting out of ContextFallacies of Relevance These fallacies all make use of premises which are logically irrelevant to the final conclusion. Examples: Ad HominemAppeals to AuthorityAppeals to Emotion and DesireFallacies of Presumption Logical fallacies of presumption arise because the premises already assume what they are supposed to prove. This is invalid because there is no point in trying to prove something you already assume to be true. No one who needs to have something proven to them will accept a premise which already assumes the truth of that idea. Examples: Begging the QuestionComplex QuestionFalse DilemmaFallacies of Weak Induction With this type of fallacy, there may be an apparent logical connection between the premises and the conclusion. However, if that connection is real, then it is too weak to support the conclusion. Examples: Ad Hoc RationalizationOversimplification Exaggeration Sources Barker, Stephen F. Elements of Logic. Hardcover - 1675, McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. Curti, Gary N. Weblog. Fallacy Files, March 31, 2019.   Edwards, Paul (Editor). The Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Hardcover, 1st edition, Macmillan/Collier, 1972. Engel, S. Morris. With Good Reason: An Introduction to Informal Fallacies. Sixth Edition, Bedford/St. Martins, March 21, 2014. Hurley, Patrick J. A Concise Introduction to Logic. 12 Edition, Cengage Learning, January 1, 2014. Salmon, Merrilee H. Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking. 6th Edition, Cengage Learning, January 1, 2012. Vos Savant, Marilyn. The Power of Logical Thinking: Easy Lessons in the Art of Reasoning...and Hard Facts About Its Absence in Our Lives. Hardcover, 1st edition, St Martins Press, March 1, 1996.

Case Study 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case Study 1 - Essay Example Looking from the business point of view, I think that my proposed use of the warehouse is a sound idea as the activities that are intended to start are for the benefit of the public. An artist sculptor would be an individual who would be quietly pursuing his artistic interests whereas the commercial welder would be providing services to neighbourhood, saving them time and effort. The topless dance club would again be a service provider in the area of entertainment. The other three activities of the tenants would be in the nature of services for the sick and the needy which again constitute a very vital part of the social setup. From the legal angle, the suits filed against myself, seem to stand on flimsy ground. Since the warehouse is built on residential/ light industrial zone, it has the advantages of residential as well as light industrial covenants. Neighbourhood covenant states that only single family residences are allowed. No outside storage or activity is allowed. No treatment homes or treatment activities allowed. Citing the case of Hill v. Community of Damien of MolokaiN,M.,1996, No. 21715 (internet) where the case under neighbourhood covenant citing the clause of single family residence was filed against the community running a group home for AIDS patients. The case was awarded in favour of the community as it was held they did not violate either the restrictive covenant or under the Fair Housing Act. Hence, running treatment centre for AIDS patients and anonymous alcoholic in different studios of the warehouse is legal. Case of High Ridge Hinkle joint Venture v. City of Albuquerque,N.M, 1998, No. 24,297(internet) held that non storage activities outdoors were allowed under zoning ordinance permitting ‘outside storage or activity’. It therefore follows that the County healthcare facility run from the small units constructed outside the main warehouse, is also

Law of Tort Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Law of Tort - Essay Example 369).It is the considered opinion of some scholars that these conflicting interests do not admit of any balancing. Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights deals with the right to privacy. The right to freedom of expression is dealt with under article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Human Rights Act 1998 requires a fair balance between these two contesting needs. The presence of a serious social requirement is essential for limiting freedom of speech. All the same, UK privacy case law has been seen to favour the right to privacy. This causes substantial commercial and practical difficulties. Thus, book publishers and photo journalists face considerable difficulty in their work. Thus, in Cream Holdings Ltd and others v Banerjee and others the lower court granted an injunction. This was aimed at suppressing information regarding the corrupt practices in vogue in the Cream Holding Ltd. On appeal to the House of Lords, this decision was reversed. However, c onsiderable difficulty had to be undergone by the defendant, in order to bring these corrupt practices to the notice of the public. ... These drawbacks to the English legal system have resulted in several cases being filed against the UK in the European Court of Human Rights (Harlow, 2005, p. 128). In defamation cases, public funding is not provided. This makes it difficult for an individual, with limited means, to defend an action initiated by a multinational corporation. This was the unfortunate situation in McDonalds v Steel and Morris. This unfavourable situation has been rectified to some extent by the introduction of conditional fee arrangements. Due to this arrangement, a much greater number of people have been enabled to make defamation claims (Harpwood, 2008, p. 397). Thus, in Dering v Uris, the jury awarded a nominal amount as damages to the claimant. Dering had been a physician at the infamous Auschwitz during the Nazi regime. It had been proved that Dering was guilty of serious war crimes. However, he successfully established that some of the accusations made against him by Leon Uris, were defamatory and false. Similarly, in Plato Films v Spiedel a trifling amount was awarded as damages for similar reasons (Harpwood, 2008, p. 397). Thus, in Hamilton v Al Fayed, the Court of Appeal upheld the ruling of the trial court judge. The latter had not awarded costs orders against them, as per the provisions of section 51 of the Supreme Court Act 1981. An instance where a very high cost was incurred, related to that of Taylforth v Metropolitan Police Comr and The Sun Newspaper. In this litigation, the claimant had to pay around ?500, 000 as costs, for a hearing that lasted 11 days. Furthermore, a libel claim initiated by the Body Shop’s Anita Roddick, resulted in a cost of ?1 million to the claimant (Harpwood, 2008, p. 370). In Reynolds v Times

Leaders' Attitudes and Computer Use in Religious Congregations Essay

Leaders' Attitudes and Computer Use in Religious Congregations - Essay Example I tend to determine the possibility of adopting and implementing ‘church planting by producing multiple congregations’ to reach ethnic minority young people in the context of Leeds for the gospel. The targeted group would be the African minority of Leeds. The most effective church planting technique in this situation will be studied. This research paper will focus on church planting within the African community of Leeds. The problem statement is how to reach the ethnic minority young people in Leeds through church planting to help spread the gospel. According to the MS200 Study Guide, there are numerous church planting models. One of the most effective models of church planting, which was essential in the development of this research essay, is the Church Planting by Producing Multiple Congregations. The research sought to incorporate this model because of the establishment of a regular service for children and young people following the achievement of the intended goals and targets1. The research focused on utilization of the efforts of the congregation members to work effectively and efficiently in the course of identifying the youths. In addition, the efforts focused on bringing the youths back to study the Bible, pray together, and worship collectively. Furthermore, Church Planting by Producing Multiple Congregation models indicates the presence of worship service with the intention of exploiting the youth sub-culture, usage of music, and artistic forms, as well as the language of communication in accordance with the preferences of the target audiences2. It is critical to note that the young people continue to be the focus group for various studies. Nevertheless, none of the studies has been crucial in defining the most effective studies in relation to communicating the gospel to the youth.

Looking At The Implications Of Teenage Pregnancy Social Work Essay

Looking At The Implications Of Teenage Pregnancy Social Work Essay The rate of teenage pregnancy has decreased greatly within the past years but it is still an immense problem which needs addressing. Pregnancy rates in the United States are still higher than those in other industrialized nations à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ this is the case even though American teens are no more sexually active than teenagers of other nations. Recent statistics concerning the teen birthrates are alarming. About 560,000 teenage girls give birth each year. Almost one-sixth of all births in the United States are to teenage women and eight in ten of them are of unintended and unanticipated pregnancies. By the age of eighteen, one out of four teenage girls will have become pregnant. The rate of teenage pregnancies may be high among low income African-American, Hispanics, and those in inner city ghettos; it is higher still among poor, white, young women who live in small cities. The question of which teenager is most likely to become pregnant can be answered by knowing attitudes towards the social consequences of adolescent parenthood. Those individuals understanding that parenthood at an early age will limit their chances of education; will most likely be influenced to not have an unplanned pregnancy, if they are highly motivated to become professionals in the future. The higher a womans level of education, the more likely she is to postpone marriage and childbearing. Adolescents with little schooling are often twice as likely as those with more education to have a baby before their twentieth birthday. Some 58% of young women in the United States who receive less than a high school education give birth by the time they are twenty years old, compared with 13% of young women who complete at least twelve years of schooling. Young women who become pregnant who become pregnant during high school are more likely to drop out due to the excessive workload which is hard to balance. A teen mother leaves school because she cannot manage the task of caring for a baby and studying, and a teen father usually chooses a job over school so that he can pay bills and provide for his child. Teen mothers usually have fewer resources than older mothers because they have had less time to gather savings or build their resumes through work experience, education, or training. Because of this, teen mothers are generally poor and are dependent on government support. The welfare system is usually the only support a teen parent will receive. Welfare benefits are higher for families with absent fathers or dependent children. Emotional stress is also another issue which teenage mothers have to deal with along with financial strains. Teen mothers may have limited social contacts and friendships because they do not have time for anything other than their baby. Lack of a social life and time for herself may cause the teenage mother to become depressed or have severe mental anxiety. Depression may become worse for a teenage mother because she usually does not know much about child development or about how to care for their children. Children who are born to teenage mothers usually suffer from poor parenting. Also, children of teenage parents start being sexually active before their peers and they are more likely to become teenage parents themselves. These children may also suffer from financial difficulties similar to that of their parents. Children whose mothers are age seventeen or younger are three times as likely as their peers to be poor, and are likely to stay poor for a longer period of time. Children born to teenage mothers are also at an intellectual disadvantage. Teen mothers face greater health risks than older mothers, such as anemia, pregnancy induced hypertension, toxemia, premature delivery, cervical trauma, and even death. Many of these health risks are due to inadequate prenatal care and support, rather than physical immaturity. The teenage mother is more likely to be undernourished and suffer premature and prolonged labor. Death rate from pregnancy complications are much higher among girls who give birth under age fifteen. Poor eating habits, smoking, alcohol and drugs increase the risk of having a baby with health problems. The younger the teenage mother is, the higher the chances are that she and her baby will have health problems. This is mainly due to late prenatal care, if any, and poor nutrition. An adolescent mother and her baby may not get enough nutrients and, because the mothers body is not fully mature, and thus she may have many complications throughout the duration of her pregnancy. Along with the mother, the children of teenage parents too often become part of a cycle of poor health, school failure, and poverty. Infants born to teenage mothers are at a high risk of prematurity, fragile health, the need for intensive care, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and mental retardation. Low birth weight is the most immediate health problem. Babies born to teenagers are often born too small, too soon. The death rate for babies whose mothers are under fifteen years of age is double that of babies whose mothers are twenty to thirty years old. Some research indicates that the percentage of teenage birthrates has declined simply because fewer teenagers are having sexual intercourse and more adolescents are using contraceptives. Researchers say that the recent trends in sexual activity and contraceptive use are the result of a number of factors, including greater emphasis on abstinence, more conservative attitudes about sex, fear of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, the popularity of long-lasting birth control methods such as the contraceptive implant, Norplant, the injectable Depo-Provera, and even because of the economy. In addition, researchers state that young people have become somewhat more conservative in their views about casual sex and out-of-wedlock childbearing. Some attribute this change in attitude mainly to concern about sexually transmitted diseases. Others say that it is because of the involvement of conservative religious groups in the public debate over sexual behavior. Many researchers believe tha t the strong economy and the increasing availability of jobs at minimum wage have contributed to fewer births among teenagers. Americans, however, seem to be against some of the methods used by these various organizations to reduce the teen pregnancy rates. The most controversial aspect of adolescent pregnancy prevention is the growing movement to provide teenagers with easy access to contraceptives. Teenage pregnancy does cause many problems for the mother, child, and economy. There are, however, some incidences where the mother overcomes this down-hill trend and makes a successful life for her and her child. The outcome of teenage pregnancy turns out better if the mother goes back to school after she has given birth. Staying in school may help to prevent teenage mothers from having a second pregnancy. The outcome is also better if the mother continues to live with her parents so that they can help to raise the child. Young, teen mothers need health care for themselves as well as their children. An adolescent mother also needs a great deal of encouragement to get her to remain in school. Single teenage mothers also need job training so that they can get a good job to support themselves and their children. Teen mothers need to be taught parenting and life-management skills and also need high quality and affordable daycare for their children. Schools that provide daycare centers on campus reduce the incidence of teenagers dropping out of school. These school programs also decrease the likelihood that the teen mother will have more children. Because the government has begun to take action in preventing teen pregnancies, the rate has continued to decline. The large numbers of young people in Americaas well as the values, health, education, skills they gainwill greatly affect the future of society. The levels of education available to younger individuals is much greater than that which was available to their parents and the expectation is that young people take the opportunity and initiative to obtain higher levels of education. The numbers of women become pregnant during their teenage years is declining, although slowly, as many young women recognize the impact which childbearing has on education. It has also decreased as parents and communities discourage sexual activity, marriage and motherhood at young ages. These recent trends will most likely educate young adolescent teenagers about the consequences and risks of teenage pregnancy and reduce the incidence of teen pregnancy and childbirth altogether if continued.

Marijuana for Medical Use Essay examples -- Papers Weed Cannabis Medic

Marijuana for Medical Use For many years the United States government has prohibited some drugs, such as marijuana, from being sold in the marketplace. Yet, even with prohibition, marijuana use has only decreased minimally. Because of its illegality, only the bad aspects of marijuana use have been made known. However, there are many positive aspects of marijuana legalization, including its application concerning medical cures. As of today, in most of the states, marijuana is classified as an illegal drug. However, due to its proven medicinal purposes, the drug should be made available for sick people to use. Marijuana has been used for multiple purposes prior to the birth of Christ. Marijuana originated in the Middle East. China played an important part in marijuana's history. ?Hoatho, the first Chinese physician, used cannabis for medical purposes as a painkiller and as an anesthetic for surgery? stated Morgan (5). China was not the only country that used marijuana as a medicine. For example, in Thailand it was used to stimulate the appetite of people who were ill. ?It would make them sleep, and counteract diarrhea,? states Thompson (10). Clearly, we can see that the use of marijuana began as a medicine, and with more research we can find better uses of marijuana as for medicinal purposes. Marijuana is very helpful in easing the suffering of the sick but it also creates side effects. The scientific eviden ce published to date indicates that marijuana has a broad range of psychological and biological effects, some of which are harmful to human health. Marijuana has different effects on the nervous system and on behavior. Marijuana impairs motor coordination and affects tracking ability and sensory and perceptual functio... ...work. It is easier to administer and the results are often much faster. It would be a tremendous advantage if patients were allowed to smoke marijuana. Marijuana should not be an illicit drug; it should be legalized for medical purposes only. Bibliography: Berger, Philip A. ?Marijuana.? Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia. CD-ROM. Microsoft Corporation. 1997. Morgan, John P. and Zimmer, Lynn. Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts. Sarasota: Book World Services, Inc. 1997. The Science of Medical Marijuana. 21 May 1999. . Thompson, Stephen P., ed. The War on Drugs: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1998. Webster, Maddy. ?Legalizing Pot: What You Can Do.? High Times. Jan 1999: 30. Weed Wars: Facts and Stats. CNNInteractive. 1997. You Dealing with Chemotherapy. National Cancer Institute, Institute of Health. 28 Jan. 1999. .

In Of Mice and Men Steinbeck presents a totally pessimistic view of life where dreams offer the only escape? Essay

‘Guys like us that work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world†¦with us it ain’t like that†¦because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you’. Perhaps of Mice and Men can be perceived as a totally pessimistic reflection of what life in 1930s America was like, but through the extraordinary relationship between George and Lennie and the natural dignity of Slim, a balance between the good and the bad, the happy and the unhappy is achieved. The parent-child relationship shared between George and Lennie throughout the novel is certainly a good thing. From the start of the novel, we see George as a responsible character, a parent substitute to Lennie, whose loyalty seems more through kindness than a sense of duty. He reminds Lennie that ‘(his) aunt Clara would like (him) running off by (himself)’ and even when he is severely provoked by Lennie to speak harshly to him, he soon feels guilty and apologises: ‘I been mean, ain’t I?’. Lennie, on the other hand, acts like a child, unaware of the hardships he and George face throughout the novel. He pleads with George to let him keep the rats he finds and needs George to repeat to him words and phrases so that he can remember them: ‘ â€Å"Lennie†¦you remember what I told you?† Lennie raised his elbow and his face contorted with thought’. Yet although George is Lennie’s ‘opposite’, he continues to care for him throughout the novel, even at the end when he chooses to end Lennie life himself rather than watch him suffer under the wrath of Curley; Lennie dies at the hand of the man he trusts, still believing in his dream, painlessly, happy and free: ‘Lennie jarred, and then settled slowly forward to the sand, and he lay without quivering’. But perhaps it is this dream that makes this novel seem so pessimistic: it is what seemingly keeps them together yet at the end it is shattered, and with it, George and Lennie’s friendship comes to a shocking end. The dream is of a very small farm, ‘ a little place’, which they own themselves, a dream of working for themselves and of being the ones in charge: ‘If we don’t like a guy we can say: â€Å"Get the hell out,† and by God he’s got to do it’. It is powerful enough to draw in Candy and, temporally, even the cynical Crooks. Yet although this dream offers an escape from reality and even when the hope of freedom seemed possible, it is shattered and George is left with no other option but to shoot his one and only ally in the struggle against a society which finds it difficult to imagine than one can have a friend to share his fears and sorrows with: ‘†¦I never see one guy take so much trouble for another†¦Ã¢â‚¬â „¢ Perhaps Lennie’s death is down to fate and destiny, the fact that neither he nor George had any control over their lives, as reflected by Slim’s tender words at the end of the novel, ‘You hadda George. I swear you hadda’, or maybe it is in fact down to the rootless American society of the 1930s. So to conclude, although George and Lennie’s friendship and Slim’s natural dignity are two good things, Lennie’s death and the collapse of the dream he and George believed in at the end of the novel leads one to feel that, during the Depression, freedom and success were perhaps impossible to achieve. The ‘American Dream’, the key to American psychology, stated that great personal success could be gained by hard work and private success. Yet in truth many were not allowed to achieve this success. Such groups included itinerant workers and Black people who, in this novel, are represented by Crooks, a character openly referred to as ‘nigger’, which exemplifies the casual racism directed towards him by the others and although the ranch hands do not set out to insult him deliberately, the use of the term ‘nigger’ signals to us that black men like Crooks were constantly degraded both verbally and physically by whites. The story’s heart-rending conclusion leads one to realise that for most migrant workers, the reality of their social situation means that the ‘American Dream’ cannot be realised. This truth is reflected by the famous trial of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, both Italian immigrants who realised the true force of society’s bias in the 1920s. Sacco and Vanzetti were convicted of the murder of a paymaster and his guard and the robbery of $15,776 from the Slater and Morrill Shoe factory and were later executed for their crimes. From the evidence and the obvious biased feelings toward immigrants, the case became one where their culture was on trial as opposed to their actions and thus they were bound to be found guilty. Instead of upholding the sacred judicial process cemented in the United States Constitution, the conviction of Sacco and Vanzetti resulted from the prejudice and discrimination of ‘old-stock’ Americans in the 1920’s. For Sacco and Vanzetti, their time was not an age of reason in American history. As â€Å"both were guilty and proudly so—- of a cultural crime†: â€Å"†¦My conviction is that I have suffered for things I am guilty of. I am suffering because I am a radical and indeed I am a radical; I have suffered because I was an Italian, and indeed I am an Italian; I have suffered more for my family and for my beloved than for myself; but I am so convinced to be right that if you could execute me two times, and if I could be reborn two other times, I would live again to do what I have done already.†