Consider the following line of reasoning. All dogs have tails. Maizie is dog. Therefore Maizie has a tail. Do you think that is a logical argument? Why do you say that? Would you still consider the argument logical if I told you that Maizie does not have a tail (she really doesn’t). Explain your reasoning about this situation.
It is a logical argument based on the rules of logic that all dogs have tails. Maizie is a dog. Therefore, Maizie has a tail. It is an example of a valid deductive argument where the conclusion necessarily follows from the premises. The argument is still logically valid, even if we are told that Maizie does not have a tail. However, the argument needs to be sounder, for the premise that all dogs have tails is untrue. Thus, the conclusion that “Maizie has a tail” is false. As we know, a valid argument is one in which the conclusion follows necessarily from the premises. In this case, the conclusion “Maizie has a tail” follows necessarily from the premises “All dogs have tails” and “Maizie is a dog.” The premises are true, and the conclusion follows logically from them. However, the argument is still not sound because the premise “All dogs have tails” is untrue in this case. Maizie is a dog, but she does not have a tail. Therefore, the conclusion “Maizie has a tail” is false.
Consider a recent interaction YOU have had with a someone or item that you read somewhere that you thought could be called “illogical.” Errors in fact, errors in terminology, and differences of opinion are not logical errors. Just because we are tempted to say that something is “illogical” does not mean that an error in logic has actually been made. Share the example and the error(s) that you found in the example. Were they logical errors, or some other kind of error that people mistakenly call logical errors? If it was a logical error, what principles were involved?
An example of an interaction I used to call illogical before I studied logic was talking with another person who said that all politicians are on the take. After I asked him for reasons for this claim, he just fobbed me off by saying that it is general knowledge. This is an example of a formal mistake many people commit or appeal to common belief. This fallacy assumes that a proposition is true because many people believe it. However, the number of people who believe a proposition is true does not depend on how accurate that proposition is.
Furthermore, this needs to be more logical reasoning. The element of error in this fallacy is to take popular opinion to determine the truth or falsity of a proposition. Logical errors are arguments that conclude in a way not permitted by logic. Not all the things we call “illogical” really are logical errors. Some of them are irrational, though; a logical error is an argument that concludes by violating the rules of logic. The distinction between illogical thinking must be understood, and logical errors must be identified when they occur. By studying logic, we can learn to recognize and avoid logical errors in our daily interactions.
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