{"id":50,"date":"2017-09-04T06:08:20","date_gmt":"2017-09-04T06:08:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/?page_id=50"},"modified":"2020-12-29T07:58:23","modified_gmt":"2020-12-29T07:58:23","slug":"logical-fallacies","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/americanboard.org\/Subjects\/english\/logical-fallacies\/","title":{"rendered":"Logical Fallacies"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u2b05 Previous Lesson<\/a>\u00a0Workshop Index<\/a>\u00a0Next Lesson \u27a1<\/a><\/div>\n

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Logical Fallacies<\/h1>\n

Objective<\/h4>\n

Review some of the most important logical fallcies to understand how they can be used to manipulate\u00a0arguments.<\/p>\n

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Logic<\/abbr><\/strong> is the study of argumentation<\/abbr><\/strong>. The purpose of an argument is to prove the validity of a conclusion<\/abbr><\/strong>, which in turn is based on the author\u2019s premise<\/abbr><\/strong>. An argument is valid if it follows the rules of inference, which govern the proper means of inferring<\/abbr><\/strong> a conclusion from a\u00a0given premise.<\/p>\n

To determine the validity of an argument, the reader must examine whether the author\u2019s claims and\u00a0assertions have a logical relationship to his or her premise and whether those claims, in turn, imply\u00a0the conclusion. An argument is invalid if the conclusion cannot be inferred from the given premise. When\u00a0a logical argument includes an error in reasoning, the argument is defined as invalid, or fallacious.\u00a0(The term \u201cnon sequitur\u201d<\/i> defines an argument whose conclusion does not follow from the premise\u00a0and thus encompasses all kinds of fallacies.)<\/p>\n

Fallacy<\/abbr><\/strong> describes the structure of an argument rather than the truth of its components. An author\u2019s premise and\u00a0conclusion may both be true while the argument itself is still fallacious. Invalid arguments tend to\u00a0follow patterns of faulty reasoning, which are defined as logical fallacies<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n

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The Flash segment below illustrates some common fallacies. Click the screen below to begin.<\/object><\/p>\n
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