For this week, make two comments. For the first comment, give an example of a fallacy in reasoning. See my examples below. For the second comment, give your answers to the creative thinking questions below. Have fun with the creative thinking.
Critical Thinking:
Give an example of a fallacy in reasoning. Here are some examples: 1. When my children were very young, I would tell them to brush their teeth in the evening. I told them that if they did not brush their teeth, the sugar bugs would eat their teeth all night and eventually their teeth would turn green and fall out. By predicting dire consequences, we try to influence behavior. This is an example of using slippery slope. Maybe some of you child development majors would have a better way of getting children to brush their teeth, but this worked for me. 2. Here is another example: When my daughter was in middle school, she died her blond hair black. I asked her why she did it and she said that she was tired of blond jokes. She was the victim of the stereotype that all blondes are dumb. 3. You will also find many examples of fallacies in reasoning in commercials and political speeches. Can you provide other examples of fallacies in reasoning?
Creative Thinking:
For the creative thinking part, read about creativity and brainstorming and have a little fun with this exercise. Provide at least 3 answers to these questions: 1. How is a peanut like you? Here are my answers. 1. A peanut is wrinkled, like me. 2. A peanut is curvy like me. 2. I have a hard outer shell and a soft inner shell. How is a peanut like going to college? In every classroom there are at least 2 nuts, the instructor and at least one student. The squares on the peanut remind me of rows of chairs in the classroom. 3. There is usually something good on the inside.
Like your example, when I was young my dad used to always tell me that if I didn't cover at night during winter that monsters would grab my feet. Obviously he didn't make it scary enough for me to actually be scared and worried about sleeping, but it made me keep warm during the cold nights when I was a kid. The fallacy here is the scare tactics. I mean I quickly grew out of it, but now I don't like sleeping without my lower body covered completely just because of the awkward breezes at night.
ReplyDeleteHow is a peanut like me?
ReplyDelete1. A peanut is tan or brown, like me.
2. You can usually find both at baseball games
3. It is rough on the outside, like me
How is a peanut like going to college?
1. A peanut can be difficult to get into.
2. You usually find it being much softer on the inside.
3. Some people love peanuts, other people don't.
When I was in high school, I must have tried almost every trick in the book to try to convince my parents to let me have my way. Three common fallacies that I used were appeal to vanity, appeal to pity, and appeal to common practice. I would make sure that my room was clean, that I behaved well throughout the day, and that I treated them extra nice so that they would feel compelled to let me go (appeal to vanity). Other times, I would try to get them to feel bad for me, but that one usually did not work (appeal to pity). My appeal to common practice was not that other teenagers were doing to it, but that other parents were letting their kids do "x". That one also did not work. Haha.
ReplyDeleteExamples of Fallacy:
ReplyDeleteWhile these do not generally relate to me, they relate to a broad range of many people in the world. scare tactics is probably the most popular fallacy in today's society. A great example is the deceiving medical industry. They scare the living heck out of people (literally) and tell them that they will die without medicine. This is a very effective way they make money, by scaring people into the scam. The medical industry produces billions and billions of dollars every single year, yet the medicine they supply causes even more problems to the human body. Which means more medicine they get to make an income off of. More specifically, this is most common with conventional medical cancer treatment, chemotherapy and radiation.
Another great example is the deceiving media. They twist and turn stories around so much and scare the crap out of people. They usually do this in order to make people act a specific way.
Another great one is ProActiv. This one does relate to me. When i was younger i had real intense acne. I used to always see those stupid proactiv commercials with famous people endorsing the product. They claimed that proactiv is the only acne treatment that really works. So i got scared and thought that if i didnt buy proactive i would have acne forever. It turns out that proactiv actually made my face worse.
PART 2
How is a peanut like me?
Like a peanut, i am symmetrical.
Like a peanut, i shared the shell (mama's embryo) with another exact replica of me.
Like a peanut, i have to be cracked into upon first impression, or else i stay inside my shell.
How is a peanut like going to college:
Peanut butter, like homework, is hard for a dog to eat.
If scrawny men could be compared to a peanut, than buffer men could be compared to walnuts, which are a more complete source of protein.
If you tossed all of your homework into a blender, it would produce a much simpler and easier form of such complexity, Much like peanuts!
Thanks for your excellent examples of fallacies and your creative ideas about peanuts. You have started off our discussion with some good ideas.
ReplyDeleteJust like your first example when I was young my parents would always tell me if I did not do all of my homework before going to bed the home work monster will get me while I am asleep. I never understood what they meant by a homework monster so it was always best for me that I need to make sure i finish all of my homework before going to sleep so I don't have to experience the homework monster in person. The fallacy of this was the scare tactics, surprisingly it worked very well on me because I don't ever recall a time where I did not finish my homework before going to sleep. This tactic eventually wore off of me around the age of 9 but I was still use to getting my homework done but sometimes not all of it.
ReplyDeleteHello Rawnsen,
DeleteThank you for your post. I like the example you gave of the homework monster. I think this is a good one for parents to give children. I remember my mom giving us the Santa one. You need to be a good girl in order to get on Santa's good list. By doing this, this will allow you to get a present for Christmas.
How is a peanut like me?
ReplyDelete1. A peanut is strong on the outside but soft on the inside like me.
2. Like a peanut I have to be cracked into before getting to know me.
3. Like a peanut it is nuts like me.
How is a peanut like going to college?
1. It is not always easy to get into .
2. Some people like peanuts and other people don't care for it.
3. Most of the time you don't know anyone so you have to get out of your shell to know them.
How is a peanut like me?
ReplyDelete1) I'm a little nuts.
2) Other people enjoy me.
3) We're both high in protein.
How is a peanut like going to college?
1) It may seem tough, but once you crack through with skills that you learn, you will find that it is very enjoyable.
2) Sometimes it stinks, but it is worth it.
3) Some people seem to be allergic to it while others seem to be addicted.
Making generalizations: I recently went to the 24 hour fitness in college grove, which I never been to before. As I was working out, I want to barrow a stool from this woman, but she was doing her work out with her head phones in. I didn't know how to get her attention because she couldn't hear me ask politely, so I waved my hand and said excuse me. As I waving my hand trying to get her attention, she told me to stop getting her attention because she wasn't going to stop what she was doing to talk to me. Therefore, she was very rude to me and I really didn't enjoy the rest oft workout. Now I came to a generalization that this 24 hour fitness is a very rude gym.
ReplyDelete1. How is a peanut like me?
As you grow older, you get wrinkly like a peanut.
Its tough on the outside and soft in the inside
My brain is the size of a peanut.
2. How is a peanut like going to college?
You have to get out of your shell and grow up and go to college
You can pick your peanuts (classes)
Like a peanut in college, only some will crack.
A peanut is like me because it
Hello Monique,
DeleteWe have one bad incident at a place and we manage to never like to go back there. For instance, I was buying a case of beer at VONS and because the cashier was so rude looking at my ID and my gfs iD for like a minute, I realized I will not go back. Our IDs are not fake, we are both over 21. We are just buying some beer. It bothered me to the point that they would consistently stare at our ID. Our generalization, VONS wants to know where you live and what you do. I did not like that so now we do not plan on going back there.
An example of a fallacy is:
ReplyDeleteJennifer Hudson endorses weightwatchers so it must be the best way to lose weight. Here we have a singer/actress who believes in it so we must too.
Going under a ladder will bring you bad luck, so you need to avoid doing so unless you want bad luck.
Breaking a mirror will bring you bad luck so you better be careful not to break one.
Michael Jordan endorses Nike shoes and since he is such a great basketball player if you want to play basketball like him you better get his shoes.
Hello Michael,
DeleteI was going to bring up another example to you about the bad luck.
If you see a black cat at night, it is bad luck. So be careful and try to not look or see a black cat.
I am like a peanut because:
ReplyDeleteI am unique and different and there is no one like me. No two peanuts are the same.
A peanut sort of has a head and body and so do I.
Peanuts can be rotten when you bite into them and there are times that I am in a rotten mood (not too often though)
Some peanuts are disfigured, so are individuals and there is not one human being that is perfect, including me.
A peanut is like going to college because:
No two peanuts are alike, no two classes are alike.
Some peanuts are easy to crack some are hard to crack; some classes are easy some are very difficult.
No two peanuts are alike, no two professors are alike.
Some colleges are smaller than others; some peanuts are smaller than others.
Peanuts can be made into peanut butter and other things, going to college changes you from a student to a career person upon graduation
My example of fallacies in reasoning will just be a generalization of how the media works. Women all around the country see advertisements with the ideal beautiful woman modeling or showing whatever product is being sold. The commercial might tell the women if they have this product it will make them look "noticeably younger" so the women buy it because they then automatically visualize the beautiful model and compare themselves thinking they may look more like that.
ReplyDeleteWomen are often victims of fallacies in reasoning. The media make us think all women should be perfect, but the images are enhanced and impossible to attain. I'm glad you brought up this example.
DeleteHow a peanut is like me:
ReplyDelete1. A peanut is curvy
2. A peanut is healthy
3. A peanut has a shell for protection on the inside, to block harm from the outside.
How a peanut is like going to college:
1. A peanut is hard
2. A peanut is has a process to finally get to the final point
3. A peanut is salty sometimes, like the people at college
Hello Lindsey,
DeleteI like your examples of a peanut as to how it relates to you and to college. When you mention a peanut is like you, I was thinking of the example, peanuts are all different just like us. We are all different people with different beliefs, values, and expectations.
When I was young, I told my parents that I need to keep my night light on for Santa and the tooth fairy to know I was asleep. I told them if my room is dark, they are not going to see me and think I slept at my grandma's house. It is weird but since I have been so used to having that light on, I still do until today. Even though I am a grown adult, I like to have a light on because I always manage to trip and fall on something around my room because of my dog. I do not know what he does but always manages to put his toys in the way of me going to the bathroom.
ReplyDeleteA peanut is like me:
ReplyDelete1. Every peanut is different from the size, shape, look, and just like myself you do not know what to expect when you meet me.
2. A peanut and I are both high on protein. Because I am a man, I do enjoy getting my protein throughout the day.
3. Some people love eating peanuts and others do not. It is like me, when people meet me, some people understand the type of person I am and like me. Unfortunately, there are others that do not.
Many commercials employ appeals to fear to get people to buy their products. Home security companies use this technique a lot. They use personal testimonies of people just like ourselves, usually with kids, who have experienced a break in but where not protected by a home security system. While people do get their homes broken in to, many people have not. They use fear so that people feel as though the product is the only thing keeping them safe. People will then fall victim to the fallacy and are forced to buy these products that they do not necessarily need.
ReplyDeleteHow is a peanut like me?
ReplyDelete1. Because of my personality type I am sometimes hard on the outside and keep people out.
2. I can be a little bit nutty sometimes.
3. Because I am a twin, I am one of the peanuts that are in the shell and my sister is the other.
How is a peanut like college?
1. On the surface college is hard.
2. Once you get through college there is a reward that you receive, just like when you break through the shell of a peanut the reward is the actually nut.
3. Every peanut is unique just like the students that are on a college campus.
How is a peanut like me?
ReplyDelete1. it is very healthy
2. it has a hard shell but it doesn't take much for it to be broken and exposed
3. there are two parts in a peanuts the two separate nuts inside.. I think that I have two insides. the hard one I out up for people I don't know and the other side where I am uncovered and very emotional and I never show.
How is a peanut like college?
1. a tough looking from the outside cause college can seem scary.
2. the two nuts inside you can choose who you are with and what to do you have two options for everything.
3. you can love the salty shock or hate it
in the commercials for proactive they have featured many celberties and they have all said that it works perfectly for them weather they use it or not. I think that this is a lie because everyone has a different skin type. another thing is that they have used Justin Bieber and he was about 12 years old in that and he really didn't need to use the product he was just a spokes person because they though he would bring in more revenue and he didn't know anything about the product besides the lines he was given to read. I think that this is bad and we need things to be truthful so we are able to get accurate information.
ReplyDeleteI couldnt agree more with you! I think there are so many things out there who try to real people in. They put face and really good looking people on there to make us "normal" people want to buy the product as soon as possible. I saw the Beiber commercial and started laughing, how was he suppose to ever need it?
DeleteCritical thinking:
ReplyDeleteAn example of fallacy in reasoning. Is when I was a kid every time my parents would tell me that tooth fairy is real and I used to believe in them? Every time that my tooth would break I always believed that the tooth fairy would come and take my teeth and would put money. And every time I used to be happy that I would get money. But ever since I started growing up there was no such thing as tooth fairy. And I started to tell my parents that were that right there was no such thing like tooth fairy and they said yea there was no tooth fairy. I was divested not because there was no tooth fairy but from the fact that I was believing in that ever since I was a kid that was what it was making sad.
Creative thinking:
ReplyDelete1) A peanut is like healthy
2) A peanut is like shape differently
3) A peanut is like hard
When I was younger, and would act up or disobey my parents, my dad would use scare tactics to influence me into acting right and doing what he wanted. One tactic I remember specifically is that if I kept being bad he told me I would be kidnapped by communists. At the time I did not know what communists were but I was terrified of that word as a child. Many fallacies that we see today are on television, if you ever see a commercial with a celebrity in it attempting to get you to by something it is an appeal to us. My favorite fallacy, most commonly used in politics is the slippery slope..."If I do not become president the economy will collapse, the middle class will cease to exist, we will be vulnerable to attacks, America will be nuked and destroyed."
ReplyDeletePart 2:
How is a peanut like me?
1. A peanut is hard on the outside, the same way that I am perceived.
2. Everybody loves peanuts, just like everybody loves me.
3. They look completely different on the outside than they do on the inside.
How is a peanut like going to college?
1. A peanut can be hard to take out of its shell the same way college may be tough to get into.
2. If you have never eaten a peanut you don't know what it looks like under the shell, the same way that you don't know what college will be like if you have never been there.
3. A peanut may slip out of your hand while opening the shell, the same way school might get away from us if we aren't paying close attention.
I remember watching a movie called "Like Mike." This movie was the perfect example of Post hoc reasoning or false causes. If you haven't seen the movie here is a summary: This kid gets a pair of shoes that were once a famous basketball players. He then goes to a basketball game and his name gets drawn to shot the basket on one of the professional basketball player. He makes the shot to become on the professional basketball team. He believes the shoes made him better. He thinks that the only reason he was good at basketball was because of the shoes. He thought he had to wear those specific shoes to every game he played since it was the source of his talent, so he thought. Shoes are not going to make you better at a sport just as a hat will not make you better at a board or card game.
ReplyDelete-Jennifer Waugh
How is a peanut like you?
ReplyDelete1) It is difficult to see how I really am unless you break me open to get to know me, just like you cannot see the edible part of the peanut unless you break it open.
2) I am extremely different than everyone else, just like there are not peanuts alike.
3) Disapproval will not effect me just as dropping a peanut will not effect it.
How is a peanut like going to college?
1) It looks difficult from the outside but once you understand it, it is simple.
2) If you never been in college, you never know what it is like, just as never eating a peanut will never show you what the inside is like.
3) You can pick which peanut you like just like you can pick what classes you desire to take and succeed in.
An example of a fallacy in reasoning of a slippery slope is when many children that celebrate Christmas are young, and they are told that if they are bad and do not listen that they will not be able to receive any Christmas presents from Santa Claus. This is an example of a slippery slope because obviously Santa Claus is not real. Another example of a slippery slope is that the Easter bunny hides its eggs with candy inside, however the Easter bunny will not come if you are mean or bad. This is a slippery slope because again the Easter bunny is not real.
ReplyDelete1. 1. A peanut is like me because it has a hard shell on the outside to open, but once you get on the inside of the peanut it’s all worth it. A peanut is also like me because a lot of people enjoy peanuts. Another reason that a peanut is like me is that a peanut can be turned into something better with hard work and dedication.
ReplyDelete2. 2. A peanut is like going to college because it may seem hard to accomplish on the outside, but once you are in it is still hard. A peanut is like going to college because it may seem hard to finish eating the entire bag, but once you do it is well worth it. Another reason a peanut is like going to college is that many people love peanuts as they do college.
i am like a peanut because i may seem rough on the outside until the shell is cracked and then will you see who i am.like the peanut on the inside.like a peanut i am enjoyable once I'm cracked open but like a peanut everybody don't enjoy them.
ReplyDeletea peanut is like entering college because it's not so easy to stay in and hard work to finish it.like a peanut college may be hard but will get enjoyable when you keep trying it out.
an example of a fallacy is my dad used to tell us to eat our vegetables or we will have to go to bed and face the boogey man.this was a scare tactic that he used on us if we didn't want to eat our vegetables and it worked on us too.we would get scared and eat our vegetables so we wouldn't have to face the boogey man in the dark.scare tactics do work until you grow up and realize your parents were scaring you to make you do what they wanted.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a child my parents would tell me to eat all my food or I will not get any Christmas presents from Santa Claus or I would not get any money from the tooth fairy, etc. This would upset any child and make them sad. At the end no matter how much i wanted to leave the dinner table I would think about not getting presents for Christmas or money from the tooth fairy. This is one of the many examples of fallacy I dealt with growing up. As children we seemed to be very gullible.
ReplyDeleteI am like a peanut because...
ReplyDeleteI, like everyone else, am very different. peanuts come in all different shapes and sizes just like all people are.
I am more appealing then what people see. A peanut is very plain and in a way my personality is very plain until you really get to know me and become close to me. You will then understand the type of person I am.
When I was a kid my father always told me that the earlier I sleep the more I will be happy. As a kid I had no idea what to think other than that it was true. So when I woke up every morning I really did not notice myself being any happier. The fallacy here was a good habit tactic, my dad thought if he would tell me that it would always give me a good nights sleep, which it did.
ReplyDeleteHow is a peanut like me? 1. A peanut is plain, like me. 2. you can usually find both in random places 3. Hard to break like me
How is a peanut like going to college? 1.A peanut is hard to get into like college 2. Once you get in, you don’t know what to expect 3. Peanuts are not for everyone
My father told me the same thing. Me knowing that waking up early was the one thing that would make me happy made me want to make sure I was up early. I still to this day wake up early just to be happy. Its funny how our mind sure does work.
DeleteScare tactics are examples of a very influential logical fallacy. Teachers constantly use scare tactics in school to get students to behave better or conform to their wants. I remember frequently in middle school when kids misbehaved in class our teacher would threaten to take away field trips or movie days, and write essays instead. It typically worked very well. Also I remember when we would get told that if we as a school did not behave better at dances that we would get them taken away completely. Scare tactics are a way to scare others into realizing the difference between risk and reward. It worked really well in middle school, and works in many other places quite often.
ReplyDeletePeanut :
1. Every time you crack a peanut open you dont know if something will be inside-its a suprise, this is like me because just like the peanut I'm unpredictable. The color of a peanut is like the color of my skin. Like a peanut, I am rough on the outide and sweet on the inside.
2. A peanut is like college because although it might be hard to crack it open, there is a reward on the inside. A peanut is like my Sociology Professors humor, hard and dry. Peanuts are like everyday of college, they are always different.
Good creative answers to the peanut question. Good work!
DeleteFallacy:
ReplyDeleteThere are many slippery slope fallacies out there. You can even make up your own without much thought. For example, if someone tells you that you need to make sure to check and see if all the candles are blown out before you go to bed and if you don't something could knock it over and start a fire and then the fire would spread and burn the entire house down then catch onto a neighbors house and eventually the entire neighborhood would burn down.
Peanut:
ReplyDeleteLike me, a peanut is hard and tough on the outside and soft on the inside
Like me, a peanut can be difficult to get to the inside
A peanut is like college because some people like peanuts while others don't.
A peanut is like college because you may have never had a peanut so you do not know what to expect.
When I was a kid my parents would tell me that the crust of the bread was the most healthy part, because all the nutrition would go to the outside. They did this because they did not want me to be picky, and so that I would eat all my food. I believed them for a long time, and it worked to get me to eat the crust of the bread.
ReplyDeleteHow a peanut is like me:
ReplyDeleteThere is more that what you see on the outside
I may not seem too exciting from the outside, but most people like me once they get to know me.
I work harder to improve my inner self than my outer appearance.
How a peanut is like college:
If you can get through the hard parts, there will be a reward
Things can get easier and more rewarding if you work hard now
Getting through the shell makes the nut even more enjoyable.
When I was living at home and was under 18 I tried almost everything to make my parents convinced to let me get my way. First is appeal to vanity, I would do anything and everything to please my parents. I would make sure my room looked perfect, would do extra little things around the house, be extra nice to my brother and tried to be extra nice to everyone. Second is appeal to pity, if trying to convince them didn’t work I would try to make them feel sorry for me. This normally didn’t work on my parents but I always gave it a shot. Last would be appeal to common practice, I would always pull this card as a last resort “Well Molly’s parents are letting her go, why cant I go?” this NEVER worked for me. My parents would laugh at me basically
ReplyDelete