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Can you dismiss arguments on the grounds that they are fallacious?I do not mean the conclusion can be dismissed as that be committing another fallacy called fallacy fallacy.
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| asked on Monday, Apr 27, 2015 10:56:50 PM by Metaphysical Materialism1248 | |
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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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Hi Scott,
As you correctly point out, fallacious arguments might have correct conclusions, such as "Vaccines do NOT cause autism, and if you think they do, then you're a jackass!" (ad hominem). I guess one could insist that the argument be rephrased without the fallacy, which often puts the arguer at an advantage if the audience is not aware of the fallacy. For example: Person 1: "Vaccines do NOT cause autism, and if you think they do, then you're a jackass!" Person 2: "I may be a jackass, but that is irrelevant to my claim. Tell me why vaccines do not cause autism if you want to have an intellectual conversation about this." Perhaps another reason one can dismiss fallacious arguments is because they are the same fallacious arguments perpetuated that have been debunked so many times before. If people don't bother doing at least a little research, or they are clearly not operating using reason, I "choose not to engage" (rather than "dismiss"). For example: Creationist: "Evolution is false because there are no transitional fossils." or "Evolution is false because Jesus is LORD." Me: "Have a nice day." |
| answered on Tuesday, Apr 28, 2015 06:40:22 AM by Bo Bennett, PhD |
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