We encounter arguments all over the place: in books, advertisements, TV talk shows, political speeches, newspaper editorials, class discussions, and late night "bull sessions" with our friends. Some of those arguments are sound and convincing, but many are fallacious. An argument is fallacious when it contains one or more logical fallacies. A logical fallacy or fallacy, for short is an argument that contains a mistake in reasoning (Bassham, Irwin, Nardone, and Wallace 2002). What follows is a discussion on three such fallacies: non-sequitur, appeal to fear, and equivocation. As illustrated in the text, it is important that these fallacies, as well as others not covered herein be understood so that faulty or deceptive reasoning may be better recognized not only for their deception and fault, but also as a barrier to common ground and misunderstanding.
Non-sequitur is Latin for "it does not follow." In formal logic, an argument is a non-sequitur if the conclusion does not......
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