Fallacy

three logical fallacies that are used in this paper are Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc, Far-Fetched Hypothesis, and False Dilemma. What is a fallacy? A fallacy is viewed as an error in reasoning. To be more exact, a fallacy is an "argument" in which the premises given for the conclusion do not provide the needed degree of support. A logical fallacy is an error in logical argument which is independent of the truth of the premises. When there is a fallacy in an argument it is said to be invalid. The presence of a logical fallacy in an argument does not necessarily imply anything about the argument's premises or its conclusion. Both may actually be true, but the argument is still invalid because the conclusion does not follow.

Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc is Latin means "after this therefore because of this". What this means is that a fallacy is committed when it is concluded that one event causes another simply because the proposed cause occurred before the proposed effect.

There was an article in The Washington Times about a Florida woman who developed a brain tumor behind the ear where she had customarily placed her cell phone, her husband blamed radiation from the phone and sued its manufacturer. After his 1993 appearance on CNN's "Larry King Show," other similar lawsuits followed. None succeeded however, and within several months, the controversy was forgotten."

This kind of health scare is an example of the Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc (believing that because two events are temporally related, they must be causally related). "Local woman killed by her cell phone" is saying the Florida woman developed cancer from using her cell phone and died.

The second fallacy in the paper is Far-Fetched Hypothesis. This is a fallacy of inductive reasoning that is committed when we accept a particular hypothesis when a more acceptable hypothesis, or one more strongly based in fact, is available.

Doing my research I found that ads from newspapers, television, and magazines are notorious for using the fallacy of Far-Fetched Hypothesis. The ad I am using for an example is

about Nite Trim. It states is a revolutionary new breakthrough in natural science allows your body to melt off the excess weight while you sleep.Ð'--and for a limited time you can try it FREE!! Never before has weight loss been achievable through a product so healthy, safe, and effective during SLEEP! The combination of ALL-NATURAL, STIMULANT-FREE ingredients in NiteTrim have made the dream of losing fat reachable. Our research and passion for helping people lose weight has paid off for doctors and their patients for years, now it's your turn!

For the first time, natural ingredients can be as strong as pharmaceuticalsÐ'...and with NiteTrim you avoid the negative side effects, bothersome prescriptions and high prices!

The ad for Nite Trim uses Emotional Appeal and Far-Fetched Hypothesis to persuade the reader to use the product. First they show a picture of a thin beautiful young lady in a bathing suit. The statement from the picture is saying this product will make you look like this. As you read on in the article they put in quotes "Ð'...Melts Fat overnight" which is telling you the product melts fat overnight