Week 4: Discussion 1 and 2

Fallacies and Biases #1

Discussion Title

Prior to answering this week’s discussion prompt, complete the Buying a Car interactive scenario. In the car buying scenario, just like in real life, you were presented with an argument for making a different purchase than you had originally intended. Notice any similarities between the arguments offered by the car salesman and the kinds of arguments you have read about in the assigned readings. Consider how you can apply what you have learned in the class so far to the kinds of arguments given by the salesman. Keep these sorts of considerations in mind as you complete this discussion.

Your instructor will choose the discussion question and post it as the first post in the discussion forum. The requirements for the discussion this week are a minimum of four posts on four separate days including responses to at least two classmates.. The total combined word count for all of your posts, counted together, should be at least 600 words. Answer all the questions in the prompt, and read any resources that are required to complete the discussion properly.

In order to satisfy the posting requirements for the week, complete your initial post by Day 3 (Thursday) and your other posts by Day 7 (Monday). We recommend that you get into the discussion early and spread out your posts over the course of the week. Reply to your classmates and instructor. Take the conversation further by examining their claims or arguments in more depth or responding to the posts that they make to you. Keep the discussion on target, and analyze examples in as much detail as you can.

For further instruction about how to address discussion prompts in the new format, view the key terms and Discussion Videos visible in the Week One Standard Form Arguments discussion.

Your Most Common Fallacy

Instructor Paik

2/16/2017 4:26:01 PM

Modified:2/19/2017 1:56 PM

Your Most Common Fallacy

We have all committed fallacies at one point or another in our lives, so for this discussion we ask you to reflect on the fallacy that you find that you commit the most frequently.

Prepare: Read Chapter 7 of the textbook, and take notes. Make a selection from the fallacies that are explained in that chapter (Make sure to choose a fallacy from the textbook for this course and not from any other source. Also, do not stop at the first fallacy that you recognize since your knowledge of all fallacies will not only enhance your overall knowledge, it will also come in handy for the second discussion).

Reflect: Reflect on the fallacies that you have read and find the one that you commit the most. Think about how frequently you have committed the fallacy and what kinds of things tend to lead to you committing it.

Write: Present an example of an argument (or arguments) that you have made that commits that particular fallacy. Present the reasoning in standard form. Evaluate your argument (or arguments) by indicating the name of the fallacy that you committed and explaining why this argument is fallacious. What might you do to avoid committing that type of fallacy in the future? How might learning to avoid this fallacy benefit your life?

Guided Response: Respond to at least two (2) other intros in this forum by the end of day seven of this first week. Your goal should be to see if the classmate has exemplified the fallacy correctly and/or presented the description of the fallacy correctly as well. You might also mention if the fallacy in question is also an example of any other type of fallacy that we have studied. You may also examine the correctness of the standard form. Is it presented in the vertical fashion with premises on top and the conclusion at the end? Are the premises clearly presented? Any corrections or examples that you may offer your classmates will not only help your classmate learn the material, it will give you the practice that you need in order to learn the material yourself.

Example

There will be no example for this discussion: please make sure to do some self-reflection and respond to all aspects of the prompt, including:

Articulate your fallacious reasoning in standard form
Name the fallacy
Explain why your argument is fallacious
Explain how you might avoid this fallacy in the fiture, and the benefits of doing so.