Logical Fallacies
In class, we looked at logical fallacies (See Logical Fallacies underneath Class Documents). These are incorrect arguments based on bad logic. For instance, let's look at the following claim: 65% of Americans distrust the government, so the government cannot be trusted. The arguer is assuming that because the majority of Americans thinks it, it must be true. However, remember that the majority of Americans at one point thought slavery was morally good for society. Appealing to popular opinion is a logical fallacy. The only thing that statistic proves is that the government is not trusted by a majority of Americans. It does not prove that Americans have a valid reason for feeling this way.
Your first homework assignment is to find an editorial (opinion piece) from your favorite online publication (The New York Times, Buzzfeed, FOXNews, etc.) and find an article that contains one or more logical fallacies. Explain which fallacies the articles contain and why you believe this. Remember a person can make a claim that you agree with and still back it up with a poor argument. Referring to the above example again, you may agree that the American government is untrustworthy; however, the above statistic is a bad way to prove this point. We are trying to distinguish good evidence from bad evidence. Bad evidence makes your argument weak.
Conspiracy Theories
People who believe very strongly in conspiracy theories distrust people especially those in power and do not believe in chance. They believe that everything happens for a reason and the cause is usually human agency. Because of this, most conspiracy theories are backed up by weak evidence that usually contains several logical fallacies.
In class we looked up conspiracy theories and found evidence to support those theories. Then we found the logical fallacies hidden within the evidence. For instance, for the moon landing hoax, one of the arguments is "the waving American flag." In the live video, the flag appears to be waving in what most people assume is a breeze. The problem is there is no wind on the moon. Therefore, the video could not have been taken on the moon. It is true that there is no wind on the moon. This is a fact. However, the conspiracy theorists don't take into account the fact that there are several other things that could cause the flag to ripple or wave besides wind. This is a StrawMan argument. We're presenting a true fact (There is no wind on the moon) to prove that we didn't go to the moon, and we don't take into consideration other factors. We're omitting details and only presenting the facts that support our argument.
For homework, you are going to write a letter to a conspiracy theorists pointing out the problems with their arguments and offering up your own explanation of what really happened. For the sake of this assignment, we're going to assume the official story really happened. It is okay for you to believe in your conspiracy theory, but it is important that you critically look at the evidence so you fully understand what you're buying into. You may have to research the other side to make sure you have a full understanding of the story. So to put it simply, you're explaining why they're wrong and you're right. This should be however long it takes you to make your points. At least a page. ;)
Revisions for Your Final Two Analysis Papers
By the end of tonight, you should have turned in a revision of the analysis paper you chose to research. Next Sunday, you will be turning in your revisions of your other two analysis papers. These do not have to include research but they have to improve greatly from the first draft. Here are some tips for your revision.
- Make sure you have a very strong specific thesis (theme). The in-class activity we did with your movie themes applies to your songs and your stories, as well. Make sure you aren't just trying to prove that your movie is about a hardworking, caring person. Anyone who watches your movie can tell that. What is the movie saying about people who are hardworking and caring? How does the world treat them? How do they end up in the end? Why is this person hardworking and caring? The more questions you ask the better your thesis will probably be.
- Cut unnecessary information. Get rid of any summary that does not support your thesis and does not provide info needed for people to understand the events that do support your thesis.
- Do not introduce your topic. Don't talk about how songs/movies/stories have deeper meanings. We don't need that. Just start talking about your piece.
- While you're not required to have research for all 3 papers, don't be afraid to look up a few things if you have doubts about your theme or if you feel it can strengthen your paper.
Samples of Good Themes (which you cannot use)
- The Lion King emphasizes the importance of people learning not to live in the shadow of their parents and to make their own marks on the world.
- Cinderella teaches women to be passive and to depend on men for their happiness.
- The darkness in Sonny's Blues represents the helplessness the residents of Harlem feel because of their limited opportunities.
- The poem The Day Lady Died shows how music can unite people from extremely different backgrounds.
- In Life of Pi, the tiger represents Pi's worst enemy, his own self.
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