This paper describes how logical fallacies can affect individuals and the decisions those make in everyday life. Moreover, the paper will discuss three types of logical fallacies in the inclusion of: Appeal to Emotion, Appeal to Pity, and Ad hominem

        Appeal to Pity is a popular fallacy in the retailing business. For example, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina forced thousands of families to relocate in search of a new home as well as new employment. The most popular phrase utilized during an interview is “I was a victim of Hurricane Katrina, and my family is counting on me to get a job.” “We lost everything!” An Appeal to Pity is a fallacy in which a person substitutes a claim intended to create pity for evidence in an argument (Labossiere, 1991). The fallacy argument attempts to persuade the manager by provoking feelings of sympathy. For example, an employee has a difficult time with their spending habits thus putting themselves at risk for financial trouble. The employee states:” I need a raise because I do not make enough money to pay the bills.” Again, this argument attempts to persuade the manager to give the associate a raise in salary by provoking a sense of sympathy. By appealing to people's ability to pity others, a powerful emotive force can be created. Unfortunately, however serious another person's problems are, that does not automatically make their claims anymore true. The sympathy for that situation does not create a reasonable basis for believing their claims (Logical Fallacies).

        When arguing with someone in an attempt to get at an answer or an explanation, an individual may come across a person who makes logical fallacies. Ad hominem: Latin for "to the man"(Walker, 1997). An arguer who uses ad hominems attacks the person instead of the argument. Whenever an arguer cannot defend his position with evidence, facts or reason, he or she may resort to attacking an opponent either through: labeling, straw man arguments, name calling, offensive remarks and anger (Walker, 1997). A store manager receives a bad evaluation from the District manager. The District manager claims that the store manager is doing a poor job managing his associates due to the fact the store received a meager rating. The store manager is in disbelief because he had only been at the store for one week and he has not established himself 100% with all employees. The store manager argues the fact that the previous store manager should receive total responsibility. Again, The reason why an Ad Hominem (of any kind) is a fallacy is that the character, circumstances, or actions of a person do not (in most cases) have a bearing on the truth or falsity of the claim being made (or the quality of the argument being made) (Labossiere, 1991).    

Logical fallacies are methods of argumentation or persuasion that, in simplest terms, look or sound good, but do not stand up to critical analysis. The researcher examined how critical thinking is evident by the very fact that it plays a pivotal role in any process of enquiry that is undertaken to arrive at the truth, a sound argument, or an objective opinion. The examples in the paper show how these fallacies are frequently used to get people to agree to desired proposals or plans. Furthermore, the three fallacies that belong to the broader category of logical fallacies, has shown how important it is that critical thinkers develop the necessary skills to ensure that reasoning is based on verifiable facts and relevant premises.

References

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Parsons, J. J. (2003). Informal fallacies. Retrieved Mar. 09, 2006, from Appeal to Emotions Web

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Walker, J. (1997). Fallacy. Retrieved Mar. 09, 2006, from List of Common Fallacies Web site:

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