Reasoning Fallacies Essay Example for Free

Reasoning Fallacies Essay A reasoning fallacy is an error in reasoning.   We all have our position on certain issues and at one point in time we have attempted to convince other persons to accept the same position.   Reasoning fallacy will be committed if there is an error in our own reasoning that led us to adopt the position or we used erroneous reasoning in trying to convince others to adopt our position. As a result, reasoning fallacy is a serious cause of concern.   It may be possible that we think in a particular manner and act in accordance with what we think not knowing that the reasoning we used in arriving at such thinking is erroneous.    Also, reasoning fallacy is troubling because a person who cannot spot reasoning fallacies in an argument will most likely be deceived by other persons who use these fallacies. Equivocation or equivocal language is the use of a single term or word to mean two different things.   One particular example is the statement: â€Å"For Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan, basketball is their bread and butter.   Bread and butter are my favorite breakfast.  Ã‚   Therefore, for Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan, basketball is their favorite breakfast.   In the statements mentioned, bread and butter are used in two different senses – as means to earn a living and as a meal. Non Sequitur is a fallacy that is committed when a person’s premises have no direct relationship to his conclusion.   This fallacy is most often committed by politicians, and multi-national companies to promote their product.   One example is the statements: â€Å"Oprah Winfrey is an intelligent, outspoken and strong-willed woman.   Most of her opinions are right. She also supports Barrack Obama’s presidential campaign.   Therefore Barrack Obama is the best choice for presidency.†Ã‚   Here, it is clear that Oprah’s opinions no matter how great she is, has no bearing on the issue of qualifications of Obama. Fallacy of Ignoring the Question or Red Herring is a fallacy committed by a person who does not properly respond to a question.   For example, if a person is asked whether he committed adultery, he says, â€Å"I am a religious person and I go to church everyday.† The fallacy of Begging the Question is a fallacy that attempts to prove a particular statement but the statement itself is assumed in the premises.   For example, â€Å"George W. Bush is the best president of the United States because nobody else is better.† One example of a reasoning fallacy can be found in the January 15, 2007 issue of the Time Magazine.   It was written by Jeffrey D. Sachs and the article is entitled â€Å"The $10 Solution: Malaria kills 2 million African children a year.†Ã‚   It can be found in the first paragraph of the article which states that: â€Å"Listen for a moment to the beautiful and dignified voices of Africa’s mothers.   Despite their burdens of poverty and hunger, they will tell you not of their endless toil but of their hopes for their children. But softy ever so softly, they will also recount the children they have lost, claimed by a sudden fever, children who died in their arms as they were carried in a desperate half-day’s journey by foot from the village to the nearest clinic.†Ã‚   Here, the author appeals to the emotion of his readers to arouse their sympathy and to encourage the readers to donate and contribute a portion of their money to organizations that provide assistance to the African people.   .   Bibliographies Sachs, Jeffrey D.   â€Å"The $10 Solution: Malaria kills 2 million African children a year.†Ã‚   Time. January 15, 2007.   Vol. 169 No. 1.

Revisiting Childhood in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe :: Lion Witch and the Wardrobe Essays

Revisiting Childhood in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe    When I was young, it was hard to understand the bigger picture. I knew not what I did; I only acted. Aggressive action came spontaneously, and in rapid response to whatever situation befell me. I frequently fought and argued with my brothers. While we were good around other people, at home, my brothers and I were not pleasant to deal with. At the time, it was impossible for me to foretell the ramifications of my mother. It was not until much later before I realized the gift that my mom had managed to give my brothers and me in her remarkable grace under the pressures. She was taking on four pre-teenaged boys on a hectic schedule, while juggling a part-time job and continuing college level education.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I was no more than ten years old when my mother began reading to us. It was a difficult enough undertaking, shuffling us between our father's house and hers and the many extracurricular activities involved with bringing up four young men. Somehow, three or four days a week, she enticed us all to sit down before bedtime for the retelling of a classic story. We started out with the first book in the Chronicles of Narnia series by author C. S. Lewis, titled The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this fairy tale, a magical lion returns to the mysterious land of Narnia in a quest to put an end to the evil reign of the wicked White Witch. The story simply captivated my younger brothers and me. The strange part was that it was never about the animals that talked, the fauns, unicorns, giants, dwarfs, wolves, centaurs, beavers, and birds. Truthfully, I did not remember much about a witch in the story, much less the existence of a lion. I did not recall any morals, messages, or even a plotline. What struck me most was part of the tale that engulfed the four siblings in the adventure of their lifetime. A few times a week, my brothers and I followed Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy into the enchanted wardrobe and through to the other side. As we circled around my mother in our living room, we were careful, just as Peter was, in closing the door.

My Interpretation of Islamic Mysticism

Raised as a Christian, I were taught by my family to trust the conscience were Jesus would speak to me.   The intuition and the inner voice are other names used by people to describe the conscience.   All the same, the use of the conscience to guide oneself through life’s challenges as well as simple day to day affairs is based on the fact that Jesus were the Spirit of the Lord and the same Spirit resides in each one of us.   Bearing this in mind, none of us may truly go wrong.   Hence, I have never really believed in strict rules of the Lord to guide me to heaven.   Rather, I trust in the Spirit of the Lord or Jesus Christ who lives in me to guide me in all situations. Imam Birgivi’s mysticism, in addition to the religions of others, have never appealed to me for the reason that they teach strict rules to their followers.   Nevertheless, Birgivi’s chapter, â€Å"On Righteousness,† quotes many verses of the Qur’an which I appreciate just as much as I love the words of Jesus in the Gospels.   Divine words about the Garden are truly a message of hope for all people suffering from the stress of worldly existence.   Birgivi also writes extensively on fear of the Lord. Jesus Christ spoke of this fear as well, although the love of God must be balanced with fear in our emotional lives.   In other words, we cannot excessively fear and love the Lord at the same time.   Moreover, fear of the Lord is essential, especially for those who turn into murderers or terrorists.   Although I believe in freedom that the Spirit of the Lord entitles me to feel – I also believe that fear of the Lord should be an important part of our belief systems, seeing that this fear could keep people from destroying their own lives as well as the lives of others. Birgivi’s chapter, â€Å"On Identifying Evil,† once again leads me to turn to the Sprit of Jesus Christ within me.   Jesus knew when Satan tried to seduce him.   The Lord’s Prayer has taught me to request God to keep me away from temptations.   Jesus also taught his followers to struggle against the devil.   In particular, he taught the believers to shun the devil with their authority – the authority of the Spirit of the Lord.   Thus, I do not wish to fear the devil.   Birgivi writes that we must fear the influence of the devil’s suggestions.   But, I am not convinced by the idea of fearing the devil, seeing that Jesus Christ gave me power over the devil.   I would simply trust in warding off evil thoughts and keeping away from evildoing. Moreover, I would not like to focus on the kinds of doubts that Birgivi asks me to shun.   From everything that I have learned about Jesus Christ, I know that he had the clearest focus and clearest mind.   I would like to develop such a clear focus and mind, instead of thinking about the differences between good and evil suggestions.   I believe that these debates within the self would not allow me to live the life of freedom that the Spirit of the Lord has guided me to live.   Lastly, I am confident that my trust in the Lord should be strong enough to keep me away from evil as it is.   I do not need to learn about the difference between good and evil when the Spirit of the Lord within me is all good and without a trace of evil. References Birgivi, Imam. The Path of Muhammad: A Book on Islamic Morals and Ethics & The Last Will and Testament.         

What Is a Scientific or Natural Law

A law in science is a generalized rule to explain a body of observations in the form of a verbal or mathematical statement. Scientific laws (also known as natural laws) imply a cause and effect between the observed elements and must always apply under the same conditions. In order to be scientific law, a statement must describe some aspect of the universe and be based on repeated experimental evidence. Scientific laws may be stated in words, but many are expressed as mathematical equations. Laws are widely accepted as true, but new data can lead to changes in a law or to exceptions to the rule. Sometimes laws are found to be true under certain conditions, but not others. For example, Newtons Law of Gravity holds true for most situations, but it breaks down at the sub-atomic level. Scientific Law Versus Scientific Theory Scientific laws do not try to explain why the observed event happens, but only that the event actually occurs the same way over and over. The explanation of how a phenomenon works is a scientific theory. A scientific law and a scientific theory are not the same thing—a theory does not turn into a law or vice versa. Both laws and theories are based on empirical data and are accepted by many or most scientists within the appropriate discipline. For example, Newtons Law of Gravity (17th century) is a mathematical relation that describes how two bodies interact with each other. The law does not explain how gravity works or even what gravity is. The Law of Gravity can be used to make predictions about events and perform calculations. Einsteins Theory of Relativity (20th century) finally started to explain what gravity is and how it works.