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There are some common logical fallacies on the site I have noticed. I don't want to pick on any particular user because we all mess up and use logical fallacies, it's often just easier to recognize when others use them, than when we use them ourselves. There are a few I am going to focus on now, as they have been jumping out to me lately.
False Dichotomy
This is the fallacy of saying that you must choose between only two options, without considering all of the possibilities. some examples are as follow;
1. You are either republican or Democrat
you can be a commie
2. your favorite ice-cream is either chocolate or vanilla.
maybe you hate all ice-cream equally
However sometime it can be trickier to recognize, for example;
1. If you do not go to college you will not get a good job.
There are lots of jobs that a person could enjoy where college is not a prerequisite.
2. Frank called out sick to work yesterday but he has a sunburn and posted pictures at the beach, so he is lying.
You can be too sick to focus on a repetitive task all day and still be physically capable of laying down on a blanket near water.
Since we want to show a real life example we can all look at, take a look at the following thread; https://www.debateart.com/forum/topics/11448-people-in-my-family
In that thread and please click on it, the threads author is implying that his grandmother cannot both be anti illegal immigration and care about immigrants. This is not true. Obviously a person can simultaneously care about illegal immigrants and think that illegal immigration should be stopped.
I won't go too far down the rabbit hole of why this type of logic occurs, but I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that psychologically most liberals have 2 guiding moral principles, while conservatives have 5 and so there is a genuine difficulty in understanding the balancing act taking place.
In the following thread; https://www.debateart.com/forum/topics/9501-were-not-coming-for-your-guns-they-said
It is heavily implied that you can either be for restrictions on gun ownership that go beyond the status quo or be pro 2nd amendment. This is a clear false dichotomy, as you can be both things at one time.
Most of the time in the real world and especially on DART, this is how you will see the logical fallacy present. You won't see it directly stated, but with assumed premises and with implied premises. If you see a false dichotomy, in a debate, in the forums, or in real life than point it out. Even if you agree with the conclusion of whoever made the logical fallacy, just point out the flaw in the logic so you can help them make a better case for your position.
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DebateArt.com
Freedom is not good in nature.
Slavery is not bad in nature.
Force is not bad in nature.
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Current events
"If you know not, then you can say not that it's linear." - this is a classic appeal to ignorance.
An appeal to ignorance is commonly used to defend unfalsifiable claims (like bigfootspacealiens).
Here's the problem.
There are only two possible options.
(EITHER)
(1) your thoughts (and actions) are contextual (caused by previous experiences, including your biology).
(OR)
(2) your thoughts (and actions) are random (uncaused by any previous experiences).
If you pick #1, then your thoughts (and actions) relate to your memory and the world around you (contextual). This means your thoughts (and actions) are potentially USEFUL TO YOU AND OR OTHERS.
If you pick #2, then your thoughts (and actions) don't necessarily relate to anything at all. And as a matter of fact, statistically, it would be extremely unlikely that any RANDOM thought or action would be even remotely or incidentally USEFUL TO YOU AND OR OTHERS.
Now you might try to mix the two options, some caused, some uncaused, and that's fine.
Your useful thoughts and actions MUST BE CAUSED.
YOur "free" thoughts and actions are TAUTOLOGICALLY COUNTERPRODUCTIVE (99.999% of the time).
SOURCE CONVO
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Philosophy
Topic Description:
We will be discussing Stoicism and its relation to Atheism and religion.
Questions to start:
Is Stoicism the center of Atheism and religion?
Is Stoicism a logical philosophy?
Can a person be both a stoic and atheist?
Please help productively refine my and others' understanding by following these guidelines:
- NUMBER 1: Please ask questions and only state a dispute with an example to improve my understanding, this forum is intended to educate with an interactive environment.
- Be open-minded and curious. Do not dismiss or ignore answers that challenge your reality or beliefs. Try to embrace them as opportunities to learn and grow. Try to approach them with logical, critical, and professional minds, and seek to understand the evidence and reasoning behind them.
- Be empathetic and respectful. Do not judge or ridicule other people’s perspectives or experiences. Try to comprehend their viewpoints and appreciate their contributions to the larger and more intricate reality. Try to see how different perspectives can form a more complex and complete picture of the world.
- Be honest and responsible. Always prioritize speaking the truth and avoid making definitive claims when uncertain. Use qualifiers like "about," "I saw," "I think," or "I believe" to convey information accurately.
- Be clear about the source of your knowledge when sharing with others. This fosters a truthful and respectful environment for discussions.
- Be relevant and on-topic. Do not deviate from the main topic of the forum. Do not post irrelevant or off-topic comments and links that aren't productive to the questions being discussed.
- Be constructive and creative. Do not simply criticize or reject other people’s ideas. Try to offer positive feedback, suggestions, or alternatives.
- Be clear and concise. Try to use clear and accurate language as much as possible. To have effective communication it is necessary to speak understandably.
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Philosophy
In another TOPIC I argued:
- "but to the the extent that logic is always dangerous to tyrannies, pure logic doesn't enjoy the freedom of expression that only healthy democracies guarantee. Logic depends on democracy for validation and correction for public policy applications. Strictly logical decision-making is unsustainable in a democracy because not all logic is reasonable. Infinity is logical but not reasonable. The Sermon on the Mount is not logical but it is reasonable."
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Philosophy
What is your favorite argument for the existence of God? Why is it your favorite argument? What are some objections to this argument and how do you deal with them?
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Religion
Thats rite because its like you want a new camry and you no you want it so the sails man does the job on you but he sails you the sizzle not the brat worst because he says how good you will feel going down in the main street and then showering off to your work matys. So thats the emotion rite. But when your telling your work matys you just if I by using the logic like your telling them you got the camry because it has the blue tooth motor and the crome greece nipples.
So its like god because their is no logic when you no god but you no deep down in the heart of your bottom that you want god so you use the emotion and then you will have the true god.
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Religion