Restivo Jared PHL 100, MWF 10-10:50 Journal #2
In philosophy, there are many opportunities to make false assumptions through presumptions. These are known as logical fallacies. In Being Logical by D.Q. McInerney, many common logical fallacies are described, explained, and proven wrong. Many of these occur on a day-to-day basis, and are hard to ignore. Understanding why these fallacies are untrue is a many key to fully discovering logic and philosophy. One type of fallacy is known as ,,denying the antecedent. This involves taking a true statement and falsely assuming that the opposite is also true. In a pattern form, the true statement would be A B, and the false assumption is ~A~B. In a real life instance, the true statement is, "If Eric is studying, then he is doing well in classes." The false assumption is, "If Eric isnt studying, then he must not be doing well in classes." However, the first statement does not that Eric will do well in classes exclusively if he studies. Eric may be very intelligent and may not need to study. A second type of logical fallacy often surrounded with confusion is known as "The Undistributed Middle Term." This can be expressed in a pattern form as the true statements of A B and CB, followed by the false assumption of A=C. In an English form, Katie is a mammal and monkeys are Therefore, mammals. Katie must be a monkey. However, Katie may be a human or a gorilla or another mammal. Just because two categories are both enveloped by a greater category does not assume that they have any further correlation.
A third example of a logical fallacy is "The Uses and Abuses of Expertise." This one I find very common in advertising. By using credible figures, this fallacy makes an item look better. This is proven in commercials for medical products when statements are explained, such as "4 of out 5 dentists recommend this toothbrush." Although the experts can legitimately make that claim, a valid reasoning for the claim must also be explained before the claim is completely legitimate and relevant. This one can often be used with bad products willing to bribe professionals to endorse the item. Logical fallacies are any of various types of erroneous reasoning that render arguments logically unsound. Mistakes occur, and they are excusable and understandable. However, with the clear direction of notes in Being Logical by D.Q. McInerny, a logical argument can easily be made without the common mistakes of previous philosophy. This, in turn, will help current and future philosophers and critical thinkers made valid conclusions without the mistakes, excelling the speed in which higher thinking can progress.