Study Guide: Five Common Thinking Errors
For an example of using these common thinking errors, I choose this South Park episode in which John Cochran is prosicuting Chef.
1. Non Sequiturs
A non sequitur, coming from the Latin for "it does not follow", occurs when a conclusion does not follow logically from the premises used to support it.
As an example of this, one can say:
Video games are violent.
Bob is violent
Therefore, Bob is a video game.
In this example, the conclusion that "Bob is a video game" is completely illogical. The two premises may in fact be true but the conclusion choosen does not follow. A conclusion like "Bob plays video games" is much more logical and can be better defended.
2.False and Vague Premises
In the case of false and vague premises, a conclusion comes logically from the premises given but the premises given are vague or false making the conclusion itself invalid.
There are several different types of this:
Two false premises but conclusion still follows:
Penguins can fly.
Ostriches can fly.
Therefore, penguins are ostriches.
One false premise but conclusion sstill follows:
SLUH has smart students.
All men go to SLUH.
Therefore, all men are smart.
One vague premise but conclusion still follows:
Video games are violent.
I play video games
Therefore, I am violent.
Two vague premises but conclusion still follows:
People eat potatoes.
Potatoes are dirty.
Therefore, people eat dirty things.
3. Ad Hominem
Coming from the Latin for "against the person", ad hominem refers to an occasion when a person attacks not the argument presented but the person presenting the argument.
As an example:
I am talking to my friend Jimmy. He says that Mr. Bobs assignment is too much work and he shouldn not has assigned so much. With no logical argument against his point, I reply with "Maybe if you were smarter it wouldn't be so hard."
My response has nothing to do with Jimmy's argument but I attack his personal traits because I lack any logical argument against his idea.
4. Begging The Question
A person begs a question when he tries to prove a point to be true using points he assumes to be true. The points used may not be widely accepted as true or may be entirely false.
As an example:
I say that America is the greatest nation in the history of the world because we have the best army ever and our
When I say we have the "best army", I am being very vague and not everyone would agree to that being true.
5. Red Herrings
A "red herring" is a point or argument made that draws attention away from the main issue being presented.
Red herrings, in movie terms, are characters or items that have no inherent use in the story other than to lead the audience away from the true culprit or true meaning of the story.
In the South Park clip above, John Cochran using a "red herring" by talking about Chewbacca in a case about music record deals. He distracts the jury from the real issue by talking about Star Wars. By confusing the jury with points complete seperate from the real problem, Cochran wins his case.