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Sunny Jackson

Fallacies: Argumentum ad Baculum - 0 views

atheism.about.com/...blfaq_fall_force.htm

shared by Sunny Jackson on 26 Jun 13 - No Cached
  • A god is not made any more likely to exist simply because someone says that if we don't believe in it, then we will be harmed in the end
  • belief in a god is not made any more rational simply because we are afraid of going to some hell
  • no evidence is offered that such a possibility is really a credible threat
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • prudential reasons
Sunny Jackson

Appeals to Emotion and Desire: Index of Fallacies - 0 views

atheism.about.com/...blfaq_fall_emotion.htm

shared by Sunny Jackson on 26 Jun 13 - No Cached
  • your emotional reaction does not necessarily have any bearing on the truth or falsity of a conclusion
  • One common way the Appeal to Emotion is created is by appealing to an audience's prejudices or desires
  • what we want to be true isn't relevant when trying to determine what is true
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • Usually, such an appeal is not made openly or obviously
Sunny Jackson

Faulty Causation Fallacies: Oversimplification and Exaggeration - 0 views

atheism.about.com/...blfaq_fall_oversimp.htm

shared by Sunny Jackson on 26 Jun 13 - No Cached
  • the series of actual causes for an event are either reduced or multiplied to the point where there is no longer a genuine, causal connection between the alleged causes and the actual effect
  • multiple causes are reduced to just one or a few (oversimplification)
  • oversimplification
  • ...23 more annotations...
  • a couple of causes are multiplied into many (exaggeration)
  • Although it is true that an explanation should be no more complicated than necessary, one must be very careful not to construct an explanation which is less complicated than necessary
  • assumes
  • can be attributed to a single cause
  • A myriad of other factors in society are completely ignored, as if the social and economic conditions haven't changed in any relevant way.
  • In the real world, events typically have multiple, intersecting causes which together produce the events we see.
  • there is a wide variety of different factors which can influence the morality of individuals and groups
  • the sole or even primary cause
  • A common reason for oversimplification, especially in the political realm, is a personal agenda
  • taking credit
  • placing blame
  • The logical problem here is the dismissal of all the other factors which contribute
  • causal factors which contribute
  • often ignored by those who oversimplify the situation
  • its error lies in vastly oversimplifying
  • to the point where it becomes unrecognizable.
  • not the only process which is involved
  • a one-dimension theory which cannot possibly be true
  • portray
  • an oversimplification fallacy can also become a Straw Man Fallacy if a person takes the oversimplified description of a position and then proceeds to criticize it as if it were the genuine position
  • an exaggeration fallacy is committed when an argument tries to include additional causal influences which are ultimately irrelevant to the matter at hand
  • an identifiable effect
  • the real causes only end up being masked by additional and irrelevant pseudo-causes
Sunny Jackson

Myth: Being Irreligious is Risky, Short-Sighted Behavior Like Crime - Is Irreligious At... - 0 views

atheism.about.com/...RiskyCrime.htm

shared by Sunny Jackson on 26 Jun 13 - No Cached
  • assume that being a religious theist is a "norm" and that being irreligious or an atheist is what needs to be explained
  • atheists are a minority, but religion and theism have to be taught
  • There is something odd about claiming that there must be a physiological rather than social or cultural reason for not adopting something that must be learned through society and culture
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • men and women have to be socialized to accept such things
  • America, which is the most religious nation in the industrialized West, not only has higher rates of crime than less religious nations, but also has the highest rates of social dysfunction on every measurable scale
  • areas with the highest rates of religiosity have the highest rates of crime and social dysfunction
  • there is no "risk" to not being "religious" in the general sense, there can only be a risk attached to a particular religion which teaches that you will be punished for not being an adherent of that religion
  • atheists — don't agree and don't normally regard not being a religious theist really as a form of risky behavior because they sincerely don't believe that there is a real punishment for non-belief
Sunny Jackson

What if Atheists are Wrong? Aren't You Afraid of Hell? Can You Take the Chance? - 0 views

atheism.about.com/...FearHellWrong.htm

shared by Sunny Jackson on 26 Jun 13 - No Cached
  • If there is a god who punishes people for rational doubt, why would you want to spend an eternity with it anyway?
  • you can’t trust it
  • Not spending eternity with such a being doesn’t sound like much of a loss
Sunny Jackson

False Dilemma Fallacy: Examples and Discussion - 0 views

atheism.about.com/...falsedilemma_2.htm

shared by Sunny Jackson on 26 Jun 13 - No Cached
  • By leaving out important possibilities, the argument is also leaving out relevant premises and information which would lead to better evaluation of the claims.
  • As long as there are more options than A and B, then the conclusion that B must be true cannot follow from the premise that A is false
  • two contraries are presented as if they were contradictories
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • If two statements are contraries, then it is impossible for both of them to be true, but it is possible for both to be false.
  • when two terms are contradictories, the falsehood of one necessarily implies the truth of the other
  • assumes
Sunny Jackson

Fallacies of Presumption: False Dilemma, Excluded Middle, False Dichotomy, Bifurcation - 0 views

atheism.about.com/...falsedilemma.htm

shared by Sunny Jackson on 26 Jun 13 - No Cached
  • occurs when an argument offers a false range of choices and requires that you pick one of them
  • there may be other, unstated choices which would only serve to undermine the original argument
Sunny Jackson

What is a Fallacy? Understanding Defective Arguments - 0 views

atheism.about.com/...overview.htm

shared by Sunny Jackson on 26 Jun 13 - Cached
  • Fallacies are defects in an argument - other than false premises - which cause an argument to be invalid, unsound or weak.
  • Both premises in this argument are true but the conclusion is false
  • Equivocation
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • some sort of ambiguity is introduced either in the premises or in the conclusion
  • an apparently false idea can be made to appear true so long as the reader does not notice the problematic definitions
  • make use of premises which are logically irrelevant to the final conclusion
  • the premises already assume what they are supposed to prove
Sunny Jackson

False Dilemma Fallacy: Paranormal Examples - 0 views

atheism.about.com/...falsedilemma_3.htm

shared by Sunny Jackson on 26 Jun 13 - No Cached
  • ignores the possibility
  • unstated assumption
  • in each of the false dilemmas, there is no defense of the option which is rejected
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • These assumptions are just as questionable as the point under contention
  • it is quite possible that the unexplained images have ordinary causes that scientific investigators have failed to discover
Sunny Jackson

Fallacies: Ad Hoc Explanations, Causes, and Rationalization - 0 views

atheism.about.com/...blfaq_fall_adhoc.htm

shared by Sunny Jackson on 26 Jun 13 - No Cached
  • Questionable Cause
  • Faulty Causation
  • ad hoc means "for this [special purpose]."
  • ...13 more annotations...
  • not very coherent
  • does not really "explain" anything
  • to someone already inclined to believe it, it certainly looks valid
  • has no testable consequences
  • the "explanation" offered is only expected to apply to the one instance in question
  • it contradicts some other basic assumption
  • the "explanation" has no testable consequences
  • the "explanation" offered above provides us with nothing to test
  • failed to provide a better understanding of the circumstances
  • a defective explanation
  • most ad hoc rationalizations do not really "explain" anything at all
  • A genuine explanation makes events more understandable
  • the above rationalization makes the situation less understandable and less coherent
Sunny Jackson

Fallacies of Relevance: Circumstantial ad hominem - 0 views

atheism.about.com/...blfaq_fall_circumstantial.htm

shared by Sunny Jackson on 26 Jun 13 - No Cached
  • some position or idea
  • criticized based upon the sorts of people who believe them
  • The ideas themselves aren't touched in any way
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • At no point is any substantive argument being offered
  • vague circumstances are hinted at
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