Dean's World
     Defending the liberal tradition in history, science, and philosophy.
.:: Logical Fallacies ::.

July 21, 2003

Did You Know?

A secret provision in the U.S. Constitution says that black people lose their civil rights in the year 2005. Bush is planning to enforce it once he declares himself dictator.

Except, it may not be 2005. The year tends to change, depending on who's telling the story.

Oh, uh, just so you know my friends? That ain't so.

While I'm on this subject, though, I'll mention that Tommy Hilfiger was never on Oprah Winfrey's show, and was never asked to leave for racial comments. He was never on Larry King Live, either. He is utterly delighted that anyone of any race likes to wear his clothes.

Also, Osama bin Laden never threatened to kill Oliver North, and Al Gore never questioned him about it. There was never such a thing as Fornication Under Consent of the King, either.

Furthermore, neither Lionel Richie, nor Michael Jackson, nor Eddie Murphy, ever told a white lady to "hit the floor."

If you believed any of the above stories, do not feel stupid. I think that everyone (I am no exception) has heard and passed on stories that they thought were true but were not. The phenomenon is known as an "urban legend." Sometimes they abbreviate it as UL. While some urban legends are spooky, some are fun, or just funny. Once you get into the subject, it's endlessly fascinating.

Go on, I dare ya: click here and read a while. Then come back and tell me you have never heard or passed on one of those stories. I'll bet you can't do it.

 


November 20, 2002

Logical Fallacies: Introduction

I was talking with a friend the other day about critical thinking skills. He wondered aloud if it were possible to teach such a skill. To his surprise, I said "yes, certainly." Critical thinking is a philosophical discipline, a fairly well-defined one in fact, and well worth learning. Yes, you can be trained on it, although as with many things, you can never completely master it. It's a lifelong journey.

There's More...

 

Logical Fallacy #1: Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc

Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc: This is a fancy Latin term that, loosely translated, means "after this, therefore, because of it." You commit this logical fallacy whenever you put together two facts or events, and imply that they are related simply because the one happened after, or around the same time as, the other.

There's More...

 


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