Logic And Argument Analysis

Logic is central to any argument or public discourse. Logic is simply the way a person reasons - their method of making an argument. When you understand that most people engage in inductive reasoning (going from a specific argument to a more general one) then you can respond to their “logic” more effectively. Unfortunately, today many arguments are based mainly on faulty reasoning and/or simply an appeal to emotions or biases rather than reason. Just think of any news channel TV anchor personality and you can detect their biases in their choice of words or the way in which they report on an issue. Many reporters simply rely on “personality” rather than facts or evidence when reporting the news.

Using the Toulmin method of argument is,

it is difficult to really analyze fact from fiction in news. News stories seem to come from everywhere and, at times, it’s hard to know the reliability and credibility of the sources. Consequently, there are many types of fallacies found in everyday argumentation. Broadcast news and talk show news hosts engage in many of them. The three that I will discuss are: 1) ad hominem (“against the man”) where the person, rather than the argument, is attacked; 2) red herring where irrelevant issues are raised to divert attention away from the main point and 3) ad populum (“appeal to popularity”) where the truth of the appeal is based on its popularity or the personality or celebrity behind it.

In our daily lives, we see many common forms of logic fallacies. A fallacy of ad hominem (“against the man”) is discussed in an article in Notre Dame University’s student newspaper, The Observer. The article “Ad Hominem Politics” discusses the recent presidential debates in terms of each candidate attacking their opponents personally, not their policies. For instance, the article mentions the violent attacks against Democrat Carly Fiorina’s “face” by Republican candidate Donald Trump

For instance, many people used to deny smoking is bad for your health because “millions of people do it.” In an online article, “The Allure Of Popularity And Bandwagon Consensus,” the article discusses the cult following of Fox News TV personality, Bill O’Reilly https://follywhack.com/148/ad-populum-fallacy-bill-oreilly-fox-news-allure-of-popularity-bandwagon-consensus/. O’Reilly points to his very popularity as being the reason why people should believe what he says! I believe we can have healthier, more productive debates on important issues if we listen more and speak less; show respect for each individual’s opinion; and seek the “truth” through reading and researching diverse sources of information. If we focus on the topic and not the person, we can learn from opposing viewpoints and even change our