Talking About Logical Fallacy

Logical Fallacy? What is that? Is it important? Perhaps a question like that which first comes to our minds, When you hear about Logical Fallacy or what is often called heretical thinking.

In everyday social life there are many examples of logical fallacies that we encounter, but because we do not know this logical fallacy, we do not realize it.

The word Fallacy comes from the Latin word fallacia, which means deception or trickery.

So why is this called a logical fallacy and called a hoax?

This is because logical fallacy is wrong argument in the law of logical reasoning, and is able to trick people who hear the proposition of the communicator.

In his or her argument, however, there may be features of logical fallacy.

First, there is no real relationship between the conclusion and the premise in the argument.

Second, there is an induction technique that is wrong in the argument.

Third, there is language ambiguity in the argument.

And lastly, argumentation is an assumption that is absolutely true, without concrete evidence.

Is it important to understand logical fallacy?

If we do not understand or at least know about logical fallacy, we can easily be fooled by people who want to try to manipulate us with wrong arguments, their thinking is clearly wrong in logical thinking.

Whether it's from among ordinary people who become con artists, big figures, or even politicians.

Next we will discuss six common types of misconceptions.

• Argumentum ad Populum

The first type of logical fallacy is argumentum ad populum. This misunderstanding occurs when one standardizes the truth of a proposition on the ideal of the masses, and removes other truths that are even more substantial.

For example a proposition like 'You're not a man if you don't smoke,' most men smoke, but if you don't smoke doesn't mean you're not a man.

This proposition is not substantive, because it removes more basic male characteristics such as having an Adam's apple, beard, mustache, and so on.

• Argumentum ad Hominem

Ad Hominem is when an argument is not aimed at opposing the argument of another person, but attacks the personal characteristics of the interlocutor.

This is what causes this argument to be included in the fallacy of logic, and of the many logical fallacies, this argument is the most common.

For example, there are poor people who say something like 'Being rich and having a lot of possessions does not guarantee that that person will be happy and calm.'

Then someone replied by saying "What do you know about being rich and having a lot of wealth? you are a poor person."

Instead of arguing, or asking the basic assumptions of the poor man's argument, he attacked the person personally.

Even though it could be that the argument conveyed from the poor man's logic of thinking is not wrong.

• Overgeneralization

Another form of logical fallacy is overgeneralization. This fallacy occurs when someone makes an argument based on an example of a small incident into a large or broad generalization.

For example, there is a girl who has just started a date, but ends up breaking up because her boyfriend cheats on her.

In the end, the girl cursed with the words "All men are the same jerks".

This kind of argument is certainly unacceptable, because it generalizes that the character of all men is the same, that is, all men like to cheat based solely on their first experience of dating.

• Argumentum Non Causa Pro Causa

This type of logical fallacy occurs when things that are not causes are treated as causes and effects, simply because an event is imminent or because it has an associated character.

So the cause-and-effect relationship must be tested strictly, so that we avoid mistakes like this.

For example, someone told a friend that his body was sick because of "trance" after yesterday he "defecated" from a horror toilet in a lonely, lonely work place where only the sound of water droplets in it.

However, after a closer examination by his friend, the cause of his illness was because he stayed up late last night, then woke up late at night and when he left for work he was caught in the rain on an empty stomach, which caused him pain.

• Circular Reasoning

As the name implies, circular reasoning is the use of circular arguments and does not include evidence of what it says, like a car tire that always rotates.

For a simple example like this: Mr. X said 'fat people must be rich' then Mr. Y asked 'why is that?' Mr.X replied again 'because rich people must be fat' Mr. Y asked again 'How do you know that rich people must be fat? Mr.X said again "yes because when I see a rich man he is fat."

• Strawman Fallacy

Strawman means scarecrow. So why is it logical fallacy it's called a Strawman?

This is because one makes himself a new target in the form of a false argument, and this method is completely identical to that of a scarecrow.

The strawman argument is actually a false argument that is not presented by the opponent, but we create ourselves to be attacked and broken again.

This argument will deceive those who listen because it is as if we have completely refuted the opponent's argument.

Let's take an example, for example: Mr. X and Mr. Y chat on a talk show. Mr. X asked like this 'women can cook, do you think it's important or not?' Mr. Y answered 'it's not important for me to be able to cook' and Mr. X immediately told the audience, that for Mr. Y a woman being able to cook is not important, Mr. Y doesn't appreciate the efforts of women who practice cooking until their fingers hurt to become a wife reliable.

In fact, the focus of Mr. Y's argument is that he doesn't care whether women can cook or not, he is ready to accept women for who they are.

But then this argument was deflected by Mr. X by saying that a woman who can cook is not important, even though Mr. Y never said bad intentions like that.

Thank you so much for reading.