This essay focuses on importance of studying fallacies. . The importance of studying fallacies then appears: without being able to identify flaws in reasonings, we would accept—or refuse to accept—any conclusions without good reasons to do so, and would have to base our beliefs purely on the trust of others.
to Consider in Evaluating Advertisements Keep the following materials in mind as you participate in this module’s discussion activities. Does the ad use scare tactics to persuade us that we need the product? Does the ad provide credible evidence and/or statistics to support any causal claims? Why the ad play on our tendency to give in to group pressure? Do the ad set up a desirable image or lifestyle that may not be related to the product? Did the ad use any other informal fallacies? Whythe ad use emotive language, images, or euphemisms?
Is grammar confusing or the wording misleading? Is the language vague, ambiguous, or obscure? Are the claims exaggerated? Does the ad leave out information that is necessary for us to make a decision? If the ad uses an analogy, is the analogy relevant? APPLICATION: Answer the questions referring to a specific ad or product in the text to illustrate each question. Textbook utilized for the course: Boss, Judith. (2021). THiNK: Critical thinking and logic skills for everyday life (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. Chapter 10, Marketing and Advertising Video.
Committing flaws in reasoning is in fact very common. Sometimes fallacies just pass unnoticed. But sometimes they are intended, whether because the arguer is uninterested in being reasonable or wishes to induce someone else to make a rational error. The importance of studying fallacies then appears: without being able to identify flaws in reasonings, we would accept—or refuse to accept—any conclusions without good reasons to do so, and would have to base our beliefs purely on the trust of others. A common practice of course, but is it reliable?
More than just identifying flaws, the primary purpose of studying fallacies is to avoid falling foul of them. By showing why and when a certain way of reasoning does not support the truth of the conclusion, that is, does not offer enough convincing evidence for it, the study of fallacies becomes inescapable. Further, identifying these fallacies requires more than relying upon formal logic, it also involves a good deal of discourse analysis. That is, we are required to ask key questions related to the content of the relevant arguments: Who speaks? To whom? From which perspective? With what purpose?