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Claims are constantly being made, many of which are confusing, ambiguous, too general to be of value, exaggerated, unfalsifiable, and suggest a dichotomy when no such dichotomy exists. Good critical thinking requires a thorough understanding of the claim before attempting to determine its veracity. Good communication requires the ability to make clear, precise, explicit claims, or “strong” claims. The rules of reason in this book provide the framework for obtaining this understanding and ability.
This book / online course is about the the eleven rules of reason for making and evaluating claims. Each covered in detail in the book.
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There is the fallacy causal reductionism (also known as fallacy of single cause) as well as the oversimplified cause fallacy. Very often, words used in fallacy names also have legitimate uses. For example, the concept of the stereotype is legitimate heuristic but can also be fallacious, as in stereotyping (the fallacy) . Likewise, there are legitimate slippery slopes and the slippery slope fallacy. It is perfectly fine to break down a complex system for understanding, but the fallacy would occur in an argument context when oversimplification is involved. As for your specific question about naming, I wasn't familiar with the term "reductivism" but it seems it is used to mean an oversimplification, although not an "official" word (if that matters). |
answered on Sunday, Oct 10, 2021 01:41:48 PM by Bo Bennett, PhD | |
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The fallacy you name - that of the single cause - is a form of reductionism called causal reductionism, a fallacious argument within a debate regarding causation of a given factor. 'Reductionism' (I'm not familiar with the word 'reductivism'!) by itself implies a broader concept, the applications of which may or may not be fallacious. It is probably better described in terms of something else, like a person's mindset (e.g. "he's a pretty reductionist thinker"). To put it simply, a reductionist sees "the whole as the sum of its parts". |
answered on Sunday, Oct 10, 2021 05:20:45 PM by TrappedPrior (RotE) | |
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