The Effect Of Ad Hominem Fallacies And Biases - 905 Words

Analytical Essay on the Effect of Ad Hominem Fallacies and Biases in Writing In writing, fallacies and cognitive biases hamper the effectiveness with which an author depicts his/her points, and therefore obscure the main purpose of a piece. A fallacy is defined as mistaken belief based on an unsound argument, while a bias is a prejudice in favor or against a certain thing, person, object, place, idea, or belief. There exist countless amounts of different types of fallacies and biases, however, regardless of whichever a piece of writing contains, when noticed fallacies and biases will negatively affect writing. When reading and writing, one should remain aware of these fallacies, especially ad hominem fallacies and biases. As will be displayed in both Langewiesche’s and Jones’s articles due to the fact that an abundance of these, divert readers from the main idea of their pieces, cause the authors’ credibility to be questioned, and therefore the credibility of th e writing to be questioned as well. Ad hominem fallacies occur when an author â€Å"instead of directly addressing an opponent s argument, uses a personal attack on his/her opponent’s character or circumstances† (Yapp, 2013, p.99). This fallacy causes two effects on the reader, the first is a bias against the authors opponent, which causes writing to be ineffective. This, is due to the fact that the reader is not forming an opinion against the authors opponents argument, but against the authors actual opponent. TheShow MoreRelatedCritical Thinking - Fallacies1249 Words   |  5 PagesThe significance of fallacies in critical thinking is important to understand so that clear and concise arguments can be made on a logical, factual level instead of one that is proliferated with emotions and illogical reasoning. The basis of these fallacies are dependent on critical thinking according to discussions in which the parties may not agree on a situation or one element is attempting to convince another of making a decision. The point of this type of disagreement is to give reasons inRead MoreFinal Exam Review1463 Words   |  6 Pageswhat are the criteria for assessing soundness of information on the Internet) Authority – evaluate credentials of author, sponsor Accuracy – search for replication (links that verify info), grammar/spelling tip-offs Objectivity – beware of biases and â€Å"too good to be true’s† Currency – determine date of info, posting Coverage – evaluate for breadth, depth 11. 6 C’s of language – what â€Å"C† uses amplification? Clarity – makes speeches understandable Color – adds punch to your message Read MorePhi 210 Week 2 Phi210 Week 23502 Words   |  15 Pagesreasons listed under the Pro section and three (3) reasons listed under the Con section. Based on the biases discussed in Chapter 2 and the reasons presented at the Procon.org website: * State your position on the selected topic. Determine the biases you experienced as you examined the reasons for and against your position. * Describe your reaction to your experience of these biases. PHI 210 Week 2 Assignment 1.1 Conflicting Viewpoints Essay - Part I Prewriting Due Week 2 and worth 30Read MoreSociology and Group41984 Words   |  168 Pagessuffer if members fail to cooperate. e. Groups rely on member input to achieve a common goal. Answer: a. Members may take time off to play when work becomes too intense. . The cooperative interaction of several factors that results in a combined effect greater than the total of all individual parts is referred to as a. interaction. b. common goals. c. interdependence. d. synergy. e. working. Answer: d. synergy. . A stamp collecting club is an example a a. self-help group. b. social group