Logical Fallacies
This fallacy happens when a conclusion is drawn from a sample that is not large enough to be reliable.
Hasty Generalization.
This fallacy occurs when someone attacks a person’s character instead of addressing their argument.
Ad Hominem.
In Chapter 6 of Blues People, what remained a key theme in African American music after slavery?
Themes of struggle and hope.
Is a proposal an argument about the past, present, or future?
Argument about the future.
This fallacy involves the use of emotions instead of facts to persuade someone.
Appeal to Fear Fallacy.
This fallacy occurs when someone presents only two options as the only possible choices, ignoring other potential alternatives.
Either/or (Purdue OWL) or False Dilemma (Excelsior OWL).
What does a capella mean?
To sing without instrumental accompaniment.
Do proposals focus on the audience's perspective or on the writer's own personal feelings?
The audience's perspective.
This fallacy involves asserting a claim is true simply because many people believe it.
Bandwagon or Ad Populum Fallacy
This fallacy involves circular reasoning, where the conclusion is assumed in the premise.
Begging the Claim or Begging the Question.
According to Amiri Baraka (formerly Leroi Jones), why were most country blues singers men?
At the time, men had more freedom to travel than women.
Is the statement below true or false?
"In developing a proposal, you will have to do some or all of the following:
Define a problem that lacks a good solution or describe a need that is not currently addressed—and convince audiences the matter deserves attention.
Make a strong claim that addresses the problem or need. Your solution should be an action directed at the future.
Show why your proposal will fix the problem or address the need.
Demonstrate that your proposal is feasible."
True. (The answer can be found on page 512 of Everything's an Argument).
This fallacy assumes a small first step will lead to a chain of related (and often negative) events.
Slippery Slope Argument.
This fallacy occurs when a person’s argument is dismissed because of where it came from.
Genetic Fallacy.
According to Blues People, what is Mamie Smith known for in the history of blues music?
She was the first African American singer to record vocal blues commercially.
When addressing the counter-argument (i.e. making a rebuttal), does the writer need to demonstrate why their proposed solution is feasible (that is, doable)?
Yes. In addition, they may also need to demonstrate why the problem deserves serious attention.
This fallacy assumes that just because two events happened together, one caused the other.
Possible answers include: "Post hoc ergo propter hoc," "Correlation Does Not Imply Causation," and "False Causation"
This fallacy involves distorting or oversimplifying someone’s argument to make it easier to attack or refute.
Straw Man Fallacy.
In Chapter 7, Baraka claims that the piano was the “last instrument mastered by Negro performers” (90). Why was the piano mastered last?
They were expensive and often innaccesible to people of color
Is it possible to propose NOT to do anything?
Yes. Depending on the circumstances of a situation, a writer may propose NOT to change how things are done.
Example: "Let's not eat lunch at that place. I got sick last time I ate there."