Week 4, discussion prompt option 2:
Week 4, discussion prompt option 2: 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.
Prepare: Read Chapter 7 of the textbook, and take notes. Make a selection from the fallacies that are explained in that chapter (Make sure to choose a fallacy from the textbook for this course and not from any other source. Also, do not stop at the first fallacy that you recognize since your knowledge of all fallacies will not only enhance your overall knowledge, it will also come in handy for the second discussion).
Reflect: Reflect on the fallacies that you have read and find the one that you commit the most. Think about how frequently you have committed the fallacy and what kinds of things tend to lead to you 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 (or arguments) 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?
