Philosophy 6: Logic in Practice   

Pierce College

Department of History, Philosophy, & Sociology

Group Exercise for Chapter 4 "Informal fallacies", § 3 "Fallacies of Relevance"

(Notes on the importance of group exercises.) 

Group Work Summary: Each group crafts examples of the group's fallacy (either, as Hominem, Straw Man, Tu Quoque, Genetic Fallacy, Appeal to Consequences, or Appeal to Authority). 

Step 0):  Know your group's fallacy.  (Don't get into groups yet.) 

Step 1 (ten minutes): Individually, get clear on what your fallacy is and why it is a mistake in reasoning.  Write our three examples of your fallacy.  As best you can, have one example that is really obvious and simple, another one that is fairly obscure and detailed, and a final one that is not a fallacy at all, but could be mistaken as a fallacy.    

Step 2 (ten minutes):  In groups, discuss your own, individual examples in turn. 

Step 3 (ten minutes):  In groups, craft your group's four exemplar fallacies.  Make sure that one example is really obvious and simple, another one that is fairly obscure and detailed, and a final one that is not a fallacy at all, but could be mistaken as a fallacy.    

Step 4 (ten minutes):  Each group presents their exemplar fallacies.