LESSON #10
Fallacies in Everyday life
Reading Assignment: 3.5 (pp. 180-187)
This section is pretty self-explanatory, though it isn't easy. You have already done some looking at ordinary language arguments in other assignments, so you know that with them you often need to do some (or maybe lots of (!)) interpretation of the arguer's intent. You need to "read between the lines" and pay close attention to assumptions that are not explicitly stated, as Hurley does in his examples.
ASSIGNMENT:
Collect 5 examples of fallacies, following these guidelines.
A) You must have at least one from each section (lessons 7, 8 & 9)
B) You may not use more than one example of appeal to the person. (all types included)
C) The fallacies must either have been published, for example: advertisements in magazines, or letters to the editor in newspapers; or they must have appeared in other major media, such as movies or T.V. news. Either include an original or a photocopy of the fallacy or include a transcript; and include complete bibloigraphic data. It may be easiest to send this lesson in by snail mail. Contact Donna Evans (dgevan1@pop.uky.edu) at the independent study office (istudy@pop.uky.edu) to do so.
D) Name your fallacies and explain your reasoning. This part is important, because I may not interpret your passage the way you do, even if you are correct, so I may not see how you arrived at the answer you did. If there is no explanation, I won't be able to give you credit for your work. You may have to write out assumed premises that the author left unstated, etc.