What might you do to avoid committing that type of fallacy in the future?

Discussion 1 Prompt: 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.
Reflect: Reflect on the fallacies that you read in your text and find the one that you feel that you commit the most. Think about how frequently you have committed the fallacy and what kinds of things tend to lead you to 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(s) 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?
Logic and critical thinking are highly relevant to the events we see in the world around us. This discussion gives you a chance to share an example. Start by selecting an event that is going on in the world right now. It could be something in the news, something you have learned about from science, technology, an academic field, or even something important and relevant that is going on in your life. It should be an issue that allows for different perspectives (there are many ways to define perspectives … they could be about whether the thing is true, good, real, important, being done in the right way, etc.).

In your post:
* Share a source (or sources) that addresses or explains the issue/topic/event (you do not have to use scholarly sources here).
* Share an argument on each side of the issue or explain the two different perspectives.
* Evaluate the reasoning surrounding this topic. Address questions such as the following:
o Are the competing positions clear?
o Do the two positions/perspectives actually contradict each other?
o Are the premises of the arguments strongly supported by evidence?
o Do the arguments use good reasoning?
o Are any fallacies or biases committed by either side?
o Why do people hold the different positions/perspectives?
o How might either (or both) sides express their perspectives more effectively?
* Evaluate the rhetoric that surrounds this topic: Address questions such as the following: Are people being civil and fair minded in how they address the issue? How might one strive for greater fairness, objectivity, and civility in how we address this kind of topic? If we did so, would society be more likely to make progress on issues such as this?

A note about controversy and civility: Many of the topics that may come up in this forum may be controversial in nature. Understandably, students will have very different perspectives on them. In order to learn from each other, to avoid creating contention, keep in mind the following: It is not necessary to represent your own views here. You are welcome to present the arguments on both sides of the issue without taking sides yourself. This will allow students to talk about the arguments (rather than trying to prove each other wrong). If you do present your own views, make sure to be highly respectful of the feelings and perspectives of those with different views as you do so. Civility is an essential part of how we learn from each other.

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