PHI 103 w4d1
Once you learn the names of the major logical fallacies, you will probably start noticing them all over the
place, including in advertisements, movies, TV shows, and everyday conversations. This can be both
fascinating and frustrating, but it can certainly help you to avoid certain pitfalls in reasoning that are
unfortunately very common. This exercise gives you a chance to practice identifying fallacies as they occur in
daily life.
Prepare: To prepare to address this prompt, carefully read through Chapter 7 of our book, paying special
attention to learning the names of common fallacies, biases, and rhetorical tricks. Take a look as well at the
required resources from this week.
Reflect: Search through common media sources looking for examples of fallacies. Some common places to
find fallacies include advertisements, opinion pieces in news media, and arguments about politics, religion, and
other controversial issues. You may also notice fallacies in your daily life.
Write: Present three distinct informal logical fallacies you have discovered in these types of sources or in your
life. Make sure to identify the specific fallacy committed by each example. Explain how the fallacies were
used and the context in which they occurred. Then, explain how the person should have presented the
argument to have avoided committing this logical error.