When we start thinking about critical thinking, it's surprising to see how many logical mistakes we run into every day. These mistakes, called logical fallacies, can show up in our chats, social media posts, news stories, and even in our own thoughts. Here are some common ones you might notice:
This happens when someone attacks the person instead of dealing with the argument. For example, in a political debate, one candidate might insult another's character instead of talking about the real issues. It feels more personal than logical!
This fallacy happens when someone twists another person's argument to make it easier to attack. Suppose one person says they support rules to help the environment. If the reply is, “So, you want to shut down all businesses?”—that’s changing the original argument.
This means saying something is true just because a famous person or expert believes it. Just because a celebrity claims a certain diet is the best doesn't mean it’s the best for everyone. It's important to think about the argument itself, not just who is saying it.
This is when someone argues that a small action will lead to a big disaster. For example, if someone says letting one small change happen will create total chaos, that’s a slippery slope. It’s a way to scare people into rejecting a reasonable idea.
This fallacy shows two choices as the only options, ignoring other possibilities. For instance, saying, “You’re either with us or against us” doesn’t consider that someone might just be neutral.
This happens when the conclusion is part of the reason, making it seem like you're arguing in a circle. An example is, “I’m trustworthy because I can be trusted.” This doesn’t give us new information.
This fallacy takes a small number of examples and makes a big conclusion. If you meet one rude person from a town and think everyone from that town is rude, that’s a hasty generalization.
It's really important to recognize these fallacies to improve our critical thinking skills. They can confuse our understanding and lead us to make choices based on faulty reasoning. The more we practice spotting these mistakes, the better we can think and analyze things!
When we start thinking about critical thinking, it's surprising to see how many logical mistakes we run into every day. These mistakes, called logical fallacies, can show up in our chats, social media posts, news stories, and even in our own thoughts. Here are some common ones you might notice:
This happens when someone attacks the person instead of dealing with the argument. For example, in a political debate, one candidate might insult another's character instead of talking about the real issues. It feels more personal than logical!
This fallacy happens when someone twists another person's argument to make it easier to attack. Suppose one person says they support rules to help the environment. If the reply is, “So, you want to shut down all businesses?”—that’s changing the original argument.
This means saying something is true just because a famous person or expert believes it. Just because a celebrity claims a certain diet is the best doesn't mean it’s the best for everyone. It's important to think about the argument itself, not just who is saying it.
This is when someone argues that a small action will lead to a big disaster. For example, if someone says letting one small change happen will create total chaos, that’s a slippery slope. It’s a way to scare people into rejecting a reasonable idea.
This fallacy shows two choices as the only options, ignoring other possibilities. For instance, saying, “You’re either with us or against us” doesn’t consider that someone might just be neutral.
This happens when the conclusion is part of the reason, making it seem like you're arguing in a circle. An example is, “I’m trustworthy because I can be trusted.” This doesn’t give us new information.
This fallacy takes a small number of examples and makes a big conclusion. If you meet one rude person from a town and think everyone from that town is rude, that’s a hasty generalization.
It's really important to recognize these fallacies to improve our critical thinking skills. They can confuse our understanding and lead us to make choices based on faulty reasoning. The more we practice spotting these mistakes, the better we can think and analyze things!