Foppery: Safety Tips

April 16, 2003

Safety Tips

As all of my longtime readers know, I consider Foppery to be primarily an educational resource. I thought that in light of recent events here, I would post this page full of logical fallacies. Keep it by your side the next time you get caught in a flamewar in the 'ol Limp Bizkit chatroom.

Here are some of my favorites:

Ad Hominem (Attacking the Person)

The person presenting an argument is attacked instead of the argument itself.

Example:

You may argue that God doesn't exist, but you are just following a fad. (ad hominem abusive)

False Dilemma

Definition:

A limited number of options (usually two) is given, while in reality there are more options. A false dilemma is an illegitimate use of the "or" operator.

Putting issues or opinions into "black or white" terms is a common instance of this fallacy.

Examples:

America: love it or leave it.

Complex Question

Definition:

Two otherwise unrelated points are conjoined and treated as a single proposition. The reader is expected to accept or reject both together, when in reality one is acceptable while the other is not. A complex question is an illegitimate use of the "and" operator.

Have you stopped using illegal sales practises? (This asks two questions: did you use illegal practises, and did you stop?)

p.s. Chris, this list was compiled by a Mr. Stephen Downes at U of A, who is apparently /not/ the Stephen Downes at the U. Doppelgangers abound!

Posted by Foptimus Prime at April 16, 2003 12:10 AM

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