Curing Logical Fallacy Dependence

1. Bandwagon

1. Bandwagon is a type of fallacy that occurs when something is accepted as truth due to fear of rejection from peers.

2. “Infected” idea:

- Trevor has had a long love of rock music. He believes that it combines the best elements of music; awesome guitar solos, fun but meaningful lyrics, and raw talents. But all of his friends dislike rock and believe that rock music is too old to be cool. They all think that pop music is for cool people and songs need an upbeat catchy tone to be considered good. Trevor agrees with them so that they don’t think he is uncool for liking rock music.

“Cured” idea:

- Trevor realizes that what his friends think is true is not what he considers truth. He tells them that they can like pop music but he is going to prefer rock because he believes it to be better.

3. Recommendation

- To realize that just because a large majority of the population believe something to be true does not necessarily make it true. Go with what you believe in and don’t worry about the rest of the population that disagree.

2. Two Wrongs Make a Right

1. Two Wrongs Make a Right is a type of fallacy that occurs when a person justifies an action against a person by claiming that they would do the same to them.

2. “Infected” idea

- Lauren decides not to buy her friend a birthday since she only has enough money to buy herself a dress she really wants and figures her friend would do the same so she believes it is okay.

“Cured” idea

- Lauren realizes that doing that would be selfish and even if her friend would do the same, she does not want to be selfish and so she buys her a gift.

3. Recommendation

- Realize that just because someone else would do something doesn’t mean it is okay for you to do it too.  Try to take a step back from a situation and focus not on what someone else would do but if you truly want to do it.

3. Relativist Fallacy

1. The Relativist fallacy occurs when a person claims that something is true for others but rejects the claim for themself.

2. “Infected” idea

“Everyone in math class is failing so they need to be on time to class. Since I am acing the class, I don’t need to show up on time.”

“Cured” idea

“Even though everyone else is failing the class, if I want to continue excelling in the class, I need to show up on time too.”

3. Recommendation

Realize that everyone should be treated equal and that if a rule applies to one person, it should apply to all. Try to not place yourself above others.

4. Post Hoc

1. Post Hoc is a fallacy that occurs when one event happens after another does and so the first event is believed to have been the cause of the one that followed.

2. “Infected” Idea

Ashley buys a new computer last week and Thursday she downloads a game to it. Then when she tries to turn her computer on the next morning, it won’t start. Because she downloaded the game before it happened, she believes it to be the cause of the computer failure.

“Cured” Idea

Even though Ashley downloaded the game the day before her computer crashed, she realizes that there are many other factors that could have influenced the crash; there may have been a virus on it or it may not be plugged in.

3. Recommendation

Realize that there are many contributing factors in life and just because events occur close together does not mean that one is the cause of the other.

5. Guilt by Association

1. Guilt by Association fallacy occurs when a person rejects a claim simply because the person who claimed them is one they dislike.

2. “Infected” idea

Sarah - “Ryan just said that Amber is pretty”

Kailey - “Well Ryan is a total player, who I hate, so that is totally untrue!”

“Cured” idea

Sarah – “Ryan just said that Amber is pretty”

Kailey – “Even though Ryan is a total player who I really don’t like, I agree with him”

3. Recommendation

Try to not let your opinion of a person skew a claim they have made. Forget about your opinion of them and just focus on what they are saying and whether you believe it is true or not.

6. Red Herring

1. Red Herring is a fallacy which occurs when a person presents an irrelevant topic in order to divert attention from the original issue.

2. “Infected” idea

“We should really buy me a new computer; after all we just bought that big television”

“Cured” idea

“We should really buy me a new computer since mine is broken and it would cost more to repair it”

3. Recommendation

Try to keep the focus on the original subject. It’s best to direct state what you want to say without having to divert the attention.