Fallacies from relevance ignore the point at hand and attempt to derail the argument by bringing irrelevancies into the arena of the debate. In this post, I will discuss the Ad Hominem abusive and the Ad Hominem circumstantial.
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Category: Critical Thinking
Critical Thinking is reasonable, responsible, reflective thinking focused on deciding what to do or believe.
An argument is called “valid” when it’s form is correct and does not lend to a mistake in reasoning due to a faulty structure. An argument is deemed “cogent” when its form is valid and its premises are sound. In logic, “valid” means that if the premises are true, the conclusion is also true. A fallacy can occur when the form is adulterated to reach a false conclusion.
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The main division between forms of reasoning is between deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning. Formal logic has been described as ‘the science of deduction’ while inductive reasoning is generally carried out within the field of informal logic. Both are vital and important tools in the disciplined work of thinking.
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The Laws of Thought
1. The Law of Identity
2. The Law of Noncontradiction
3. The Law of Excluded Middle (aka. Excluded Third)
These seven critical reading strategies can be learned readily and then applied not only to reading selections in a Literature class, but also to your other college reading. Mastering these strategies will help you handle difficult material with confidence.
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We believe that Critical Thinking is a mental toolbox containing a number of thinking tools. We intend to teach our children how to use all those tools. One of those tools is the ability to discriminate; specifically meaning the ability to discriminate between a fact, an opinion, an assumption, or an inference.
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A great deal of the content of this website is dedicated to information pertaining to physical and spiritual needs. Hopefully, that provides some insight into how we, as parents, meet the needs of our children in those two very often overlooked areas. Keeping things in balance, we wanted to offer some insight into the most overlooked area, that being how we choose to meet their intellectual needs, as well.
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