Logical Fallacies 11/26/16

     As we have learned in class this week, logical fallacies are flawed reasoning that often undermines the logic of an argument. There are countless examples of logical fallacies, including Ad Hominem, Strawman, Slippery Slope and Bandwagon. Although these logical fallacies are technically 'flawed', they are easily disguised and thus can be very persuasive and manipulative; making them very effective. For this reason, logical fallacies can be practically seen anywhere in today's society. One example is Ad Hominem, where a person would directly attack their opponent rather than their opponent's position or argument. This is clearly seen throughout the 2016 presidential election where candidates such as Donald Trump used Ad Hominem to attack and cast doubt on others. To demonstrate, he constantly made sexist remarks about Hillary Clinton, called Bernie Sanders a "socialist whack job" and Ted Cruz a "maniac". All of which were attacks on his opponent's character or personal traits as opposed to their arguments. By doing so, Trump was able to undermine his opponent's case without having to directly engage with it. Even though this type of argument is considered a fallacy, Donald Trump, now President-elect has clearly showed us how successful it can be. Another example is Bandwagon, where a person appeals to popularity to seek validation. This is often seen in advertisements or commercials, which often takes the form "Number one in..." or "America's favorite..." By using the majority of the population, the argument becomes more appealing to the audience and makes the product seem more desired as nobody wants to be different or left out. Ultimately, it is clear that logical fallacies can be very persuasive and effective given the right circumstances and audience. Nevertheless, some logical fallacies are flawed and are simply not persuasive. Take Slippery Slope for example, which is an argument that says, if A happens then Z will too. However, there is often no connection between A and Z let alone proof that A causes Z. Despite this, Slippery Slope is still widely used. As my mother's personal favorite, I will often times hear things like "If you don't wear a hat during the winter, your head will hurt!" needless to say, this does not get rid of my hatred towards hats and I still don't wear them. My point is, logical fallacies can be found anywhere, and can be either persuasive or not.