Faulty Argumentation

09/010/2017

Word Count:847

BASIL

Short Introduction:

I noticed that there are some faulty arguments in my citing resources when I wrote my first part of the plant research paper. It is undeniable that these faulty argument take a significant role in helping my reader to more deeply understand the concept of my paper. However, these faulty arguments that existing in my paper might let my reader not exactly

notice the disadvantage of my logic. For instance, in some sentences, I make some direct claim in order to have my readers to believe something is true, which is what we called “Dogmatism” in the field of faulty argument. In addition, I also have appeal to authority as part of the faulty argument in my paper. I quoted some data from a website and used it to prove my point of view, but I did not know how accurate the website is.

1. Either/Or & Slippery Slope

In my paper, I used a quote from an article called “10 Uses for Basil Leaf” to help people to understand the benefit that basil brings to us. “A facial steam with dried basil leaf can help alleviate a headache. Add a tablespoon of dried basil leaf to 2 cups of boiling water in a large pot. Carefully lean over the pot, cover head with a towel and breathe in the steam for 5-10 minutes until headache starts to subside.(Katie)”, The reason that we considered this as a faulty argument is that the second part of the this paragraph might not be the result of the first part. In the first part, the author mentioned that a facial steam with boiling dried basil leaf can alleviate a headache; however we do not know what particular makes the contribution to alleviate a headache. It could be the steam itself helps to alleviate a headache even without the dried basil leaf. The author falsely assumes the first part leads to the second part as a result , hence it is a faulty argument.

2. Prejudice & Stereotypes:

There is another example of faulty argument existing in my quotation resource that I used in my paper. In the article called “Medical use of basil” written by Doug Larson, it stated that “Basil is a member of the Mint family, and like most other mints, is mainly used in medicine for its digestive and anti-gas properties(Larson).” The reason why it is a faulty argument is that the author falsely assumes that most of the basil is used for medical purpose, and the word “most” shows prejudice. However, basil is not just used for medical purposes. Basil is also widely used in general cooking as seasoning in many countries like Italy, Vietnam, and China. The use of basil in cooking is even more general that the use for medical purposes. Since the author shows the his prejudice in the sentence, it is considered as a faulty argument.

3. Appeal to Authority:

When I was reading one of my quotation resource article, I accidentally found a faulty argument. In the website “ The world’s Healthiest Food”, there is an article called “Basil” which I used some quotes in my paper. It stated that “Additional information about the amount of these nutrients provided by Basil can be found in the Food Rating System Chart. A link that takes you to the In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Basil, featuring information over 80 nutrients, can be found under the Food Rating System Chart.” The reason why it is a faulty argument is that it is appeal to authority. The author somehow tries to convince the reader by what else wrote on others websites, as if it provides evidence to resolve the original problem, but the author has no ideas if the website that he is using has the correct information.

4. Red Herring:

Another example of faulty argument I found in my quotation resource is in the article called “What Is Basil Good For?” from the website FoodFacts. It stated that “Basil also provides vitamin A, which contains beta-carotenes, powerful antioxidants that protect the cells lining a number of numerous body structures, including the blood vessels, from free radical damage. This helps prevent cholesterol in blood from oxidizing, helping to prevent atherosclerosis, heart attacks, and stroke.” This is a faulty argument of red herring, since it distracts people’s attention from basil to Vitamin A. As we know, Vitamin A is a good element that benefits people’s body, but we do not know how much Vitamin A in a particular basil. It might be just a tiny amount that it is not enough to help people’s body. What the author trying to do is to convert people’s attention, since red herring is the most effective method to have readers to stand on the author’s point of view.

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Please try my basil tea. According to a newspaper, it is very effective to treat headache. (Appeal to Authority) Most of the people who have headache had tried this tea, so you have to try this if you have headache problem. (bandwagon)