Fallacy Of Far Fetched Hypothesis example essay topic

three logical fallacies that are used in this paper are Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc, Far-Fetched Hypothesis, and False Dilemma. What is a fallacy? A fallacy is viewed as an error in reasoning. To be more exact, a fallacy is an 'argument' in which the premises given for the conclusion do not provide the needed degree of support. A logical fallacy is an error in logical argument which is independent of the truth of the premises.

When there is a fallacy in an argument it is said to be invalid. The presence of a logical fallacy in an argument does not necessarily imply anything about the argument's premises or its conclusion. Both may actually be true, but the argument is still invalid because the conclusion does not follow. Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc is Latin means 'after this therefore because of this'. What this means is that a fallacy is committed when it is concluded that one event causes another simply because the proposed cause occurred before the proposed effect. There was an article in The Washington Times about a Florida woman who developed a brain tumor behind the ear where she had customarily placed her cell phone, her husband blamed radiation from the phone and sued its manufacturer.

After his 1993 appearance on CNN's 'Larry King Show,' other similar lawsuits followed. None succeeded however, and within several months, the controversy was forgotten". This kind of health scare is an example of the Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc (believing that because two events are temporally related, they must be causally related). 'Local woman killed by her cell phone" is saying the Florida woman developed cancer from using her cell phone and died. The second fallacy in the paper is Far-Fetched Hypothesis. This is a fallacy of inductive reasoning that is committed when we accept a particular hypothesis when a more acceptable hypothesis, or one more strongly based in fact, is available.

Doing my research I found that ads from newspapers, television, and magazines are notorious for using the fallacy of Far-Fetched Hypothesis. The ad I am using for an example is about Nite Trim. It states is a revolutionary new breakthrough in natural science allows your body to melt off the excess weight while you sleep. -and for a limited time you can try it FREE!! Never before has weight loss been achievable through a product so healthy, safe, and effective during SLEEP! The combination of ALL-NATURAL, STIMULANT-FREE ingredients in Nite Trim have made the dream of losing fat reachable. Our research and passion for helping people lose weight has paid off for doctors and their patients for years, now it's your turn!

For the first time, natural ingredients can be as strong as pharmaceuticals... and with Nite Trim you avoid the negative side effects, bothersome prescriptions and high prices! The ad for Nite Trim uses Emotional Appeal and Far-Fetched Hypothesis to persuade the reader to use the product. First they show a picture of a thin beautiful young lady in a bathing suit. The statement from the picture is saying this product will make you look like this. As you read on in the article they put in quotes.

".. Melts Fat overnight" which is telling you the product melts fat overnight if you use it. This would be a Far-Fetched Hypothesis because body fat does not melt... My third logical fallacy is False Dilemma. I have found false dilemma to be common among politicians. False dilemma is a fallacy of reasoning that omits consideration of all reasonable alternatives.

Sometimes called the either-or fallacy, one poses what looks like a true dilemma -- I must pick one or the other -- when, in fact, there are other viable alternatives. A limited number of options (usually two) are given, while in reality there are more options. In reading the article Strengthening Social Security for Future Generations, President George W. Bush: spoke about his plan Strengthening Social Security for future generations to seniors at Tucson's Morris K Udall Center in Arizona, saying if we do not act to fix the Social Security now the only solution will be dramatically higher taxes, massive new borrowing or sudden or severe cuts in Social Security benefits or other government programs. Another example I found of False Dilemma in an article from Focus on Social Issues Constitution and Government. In this article we are told that if certain judges are elected they will vote and agree with all Christian beliefs and the only way to get rid of certain policies is to make sure these judges get in office. This group is using an either / or analogy.

There is no guarantee that these judges will agree with all Christian beliefs.

Bibliography

What Is Safe, What Isn't? (2004, November 5).
The Washington Times, p. A 19. Retrieved May 10, 2005, from Questia database, web Statement on Federal Judicial Appointments, March 7, 2005 Focus on Social Issues, Constitution and Government Quick Facts.
Retrieved on June 10, 2005 web.