76 3. Using Logic in Argument
Logic can be a complicated concept, but the bottom line is simple: statements in your argument need to be valid and they need to make sense. Logical fallacies – or errors in reasoning – can weaken an argument and strengthen your opponent’s argument against you. Sometimes they can be hard to find, but with a little thought put into revising your paper, you can identify possible logical fallacies.
Although we could spend a semester discussing logic and logical fallacies, I’ve listed a few below and will also give you a practice in this module’s multi-part exercise.
- Hasty generalizations: Basing an argument on insufficient or unsupported evidence. Let’s say you go to McDonald’s on Cornelia Street, and they serve you cold french fries. If you start telling everyone McDonald’s serves cold french fries, you’ve used a hasty generalization. People often do that when telling others about products or services they received. If you go to a thousand McDonald’s and all of them served cold french fries (ugh), then you’d have something to argue about.
- Non sequitur (it doesn’t follow): Stating a conclusion that is not necessarily a logical result of the facts. If you see in the catalog of courses for the upcoming semester that Mel Gibson is teaching a course in acting, you might automatically think that would be a great course to take because of the teacher. Just because Gibson is an actor does not necessarily mean he will be a good teacher. Great baseball players don’t always make good coaches. You need proof of Mel’s teaching ability before you can say he’s a good teacher.
- Begging the question: Presenting as truth what is supposed to be proven by the argument. Stating that your argument for a ban on violent video games is needed because video games cause violence is begging the question. It’s not a proven fact until you show sufficient evidence to support that. Often, your facts need to be proven in argument.
- Ad hominem (to the man): Attacking an opponent’s character rather than the opponent’s argument. Criticizing a political candidate because he or she is divorced or had a drinking problem in the past is not good logic. What is the candidate’s record in serving the people? How is the candidate as a public servant? What is his/her platform? His/her personal life doesn’t make for good argument (though we all try: look at President Trump, for example).
- Distraction: Drawing the reader’s attention away from the issue with unrelated information. You argue that there are too many commercials in today’s television programming. You point out that televisions today are crystal clear: the reception is so nice that you almost seem to be seeing things live. That has nothing to do with the argument but brightens the reader’s perception of the general topic. It’s not good support.
- False analogy: Making a general statement based on a weak comparison. Look closely at your use of metaphors (comparisons). Make sure the two items are si