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A fallacy is a kind of error in reasoning?Fallacies should not be persuasive, but they often are. Fallacies may be created unintentionally, or they may be created intentionally in order to deceive other people. The vast majority of the commonly identified fallacies involve arguments, although some involve explanations or definitions ?but most are fallacies that involve kinds of errors made while arguing informally in natural language. (Dowden, 2005, ¶ 1)
We use or are told fallacies, with and without intention, everyday. Whether we are at school, work or home watching television, learning to catch these fallacies is an important skill that will help us think and discuss issues in a logical and decisive manner. This student will discuss ad hominem, appeal to emotion and straw man fallacies, their significance to critical thinking and their application to decision-making.
"A personal attack is committed when a person substitutes abusive remarks for evidence when attacking another person's claim or claims" (The Nizkor Project, 1991-2005). This personal attack is known as an ad hominem which is Latin for "against the person". An example of this fallacy is "Nick says Beethoven is still the best composer of classical music, but he is only 13 and has only been playing piano for 4 years!" This person is attacking the age and experience of Nick but does not discuss the composing skills of Beethoven or any other classical composer. Critical thinkers do not need to use ad hominem statements to challenge a claim.
Critical thinking, by definition, is high level thinking based on clear and concise statements and facts. When attacked with an ad hominem fallacy, a cri ...