BIOM 3210 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Ad Hominem, Caveman, Wishful Thinking
19 Sep 2017
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Document Summary
A fallacy is an argument that violates one or more criteria of a good argument. Wishful thinking: formation of beliefs and making decision according to what might be pleasing to imagine instead of by appealing to evidence, rationality or reality. Product of resolving conflicts between belief and desire --- assuming that because one wants something to be true, it is (or the converse) A wish is not an acceptable premise. Believing does not make anything true desires have no influence on reality. Example: i know in my heart my home team is going to win. There must be life after death because everyone desires it, therefore why would it not be true. False alternatives: we fail to consider all relevant possibilities --- presenting only one or a few of many reasonable alternative view, and assuming that one of the views presented must be true.
