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THE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF KENYA

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE INFORMATION SCIENCE

CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING ASSIGNMENT

OWINO FELIX OMONDI

AIIQ/00575/2017

QUESTION:FALLACIES OF AMBIGUITY AND FALLACIES OF RELEVANCE


Fallacies of relevance

1.Argumentum ad baculum

This is an argument that resorts to the threat of force to cause the acceptance of the conclusion. They
also include threats of fear to cause acceptance.

Example; This suspect must be jailed or if you do not declare him guilty, he will rob you too long the
streets.

The fallacy is committed as the judge is threatened of future robbery by the suspect i.e., ’he will rob you
too along the streets’

2.Argumentum ad hominem

An argument that attempts to disprove the truth of what is asserted by attacking the speaker rather
than the speaker’s argument.

Example; My father tells me not to come home late, but he also comes late. Therefore, I’ll also come
home late.

Fallacy; Therefore, I’ll also come home late.

3.Argumentum ad ignorantium-appeals to ignorance

An argument that proposition is true because it has not been proven false, or a proposition that is false
because it has not been proven true.

Example; Heaven is high above the sky because it has not been shown to be elsewhere.

Fallacy; Because it has not been shown to be elsewhere, therefore we take the fact that it is high above
the sky to be true.

4.Argumentum ad misericordiam.- Appeal to pity.

This is an argument that appeals to pity for the sake of getting a conclusion accepted.

Example; I know I have not paid rent for the last six months, but please understand I have no
employment and I am a widow without any source of money, kindly let me stay in the house.

Fallacy ; I have no employment and I am a widow…the tenant wants the landlord to have pity on her due
to her status, instead of paying the rent.

5.Argumentum ad populum (Appeals to the people).

This is an argument that appeals to the beliefs of the multitude.

Example; Since time immemorial everyone believes that God created us. Anyone who doesn’t believe in
God is a brainwashed fool.

Fallacy; Anyone who doesn’t believe in God is a brainwashed fool.

6.Argumentum ad verecundiam-(Appeal to authority)


This is an argument in which authority is appealed to.

Example; The engineer said that the building would take three months to collapse. It will surely collapse
since the engineer said so.

Fallacy; it will surely collapse since the engineer said so…the engineer, who is the authority in this case is
believed to be accurate because of his authority.

7.Argumentum ad antiquitam.

This is a fallacy of asserting that something is right or good simply because it is old ,that is because, ‘
that’s the way it’s always been’.

Example; Early marriages should be encouraged because even our grandmothers practiced it.

Fallacy ;…because even our grandmothers did it- it is considered correct because that is how things have
always been.

8.Red Herring.

This is committed when an irrelevant material is introduced to the issue being discussed, such that
everyone’s attention is diverted away from the points being made, and toward a different conclusion.

Example; How to reduce road accidents: We should ensure that all vehicles are fitted with speed
governors, put traffic officers along the major highways, arrest drunk drivers and close all driving
schools.

Fallacy ;Close all driving schools…this is an irrelevant point that lead towards a different conclusion since
driving schools don’t lead to road accidents.

9.Argumentum ad passions (Appeal to emotion)

This is the manipulation of the recipient’s emotions in order to win an argument, especially in the
absence of factual evidence.

Example; Dating a white lady is the best thing, they are so romantic.

Fallacy ;… they are so romantic…the statement makes the person “feel good” about white ladies, making
the informer to win the argument.

10.Petitio principii (also called Circular reasoning)

It is the same as “begging the question”. The argument assumes it’s conclusion to be true but does not
show it to be true . Example; All Sudanese are black in complexion because they are black.

Fallacy; ‘Because they are black’…it does not explain why but we assume the conclusion to be true.

11.Complex question /Fallacy of interrogation.

This is where a question is hidden within another question. The question asked has a presupposition
which the answerer may wish to deny, but which he would be accepting if he gave anything that would
count as an answer.
Example; Have you stopped taking bhang?

Fallacy; There is hidden question which the recipient would wish to deny, that is, taking bhang.

12.Converse accident.

A fallacy that takes evidence from several, possibly unrepresantative cases to a general rule;
generalizing from few to many.

Example

Fallacy

13.Accident/Dicto Simpliciter.

This occurs when a general rule is applied to particular situation in which the feature of that particular
situation render the rule inapplicable.

Example; A child stole food from their house in order to give to an orphan who was dying of hunger

Fallacy; in such case, the rule ‘honesty is the best policy would be rendered inapplicable, since the
situation is understandable.

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