Monthly Archives: March 2013

Gambler’s Fallacy – when a person assumes that a departure from what occurs on average or in the long term will be corrected in the short term. Refutation: Statistics have no power. Odds cannot make anything happen. They can only … Continue reading →

Spotlight Fallacy – committed when a person uncritically assumes that all members or cases of a certain class or type are like those that receive the most attention or coverage in the media. Refutation: The media, to be profitable, has … Continue reading →

Common Ground – assuming that the middle position between two extremes must be correct simply because it is the middle position. Refutation: Both extreme positions might be wrong, as well as the middle position. Example – Addison: “Barrett, you allow … Continue reading →

  The Appeal to Common Practice – concluding that an action or behavior is common, therefore the action or behavior is correct, justified, moral, or reasonable. Refutation: “what is” is not necessarily “what should be”. Examples – Adan: “Bailee, in the … Continue reading →

Judgmental language – insulting or pejorative language to influence the recipient’s judgment. Refutation: Arguments stand or fall on their internal structure and supports for their claims.  Example: Almost every argument you see in a political campaign… or arguments about the … Continue reading →

Wrong Direction – cause and effect are reversed. The cause is said to be the effect and vice versa. Refutation: To claim a cause and effect relationship between past events, you need hard evidence, not rhetoric. Example: Removing the 10 … Continue reading →