What is faulty thinking?
Faulty thinking often appeals to the reader’s emotions. Use of
faulty logic is sometimes an attempt to distract the reader from careful
examination of the facts and details.
“Faulty thinking” may be based in part on slanted or biased
arguments or unreliable facts. The rules used to form logical conclusions
may also be faulty or wrong. Read the definitions of different types of
“faulty thinking.” “Faulty conclusions” have been
italicized.
- Hasty Generalizations are made when
few facts are known or the facts are not evaluated for their usefulness.
Hasty generalizations lead to incorrect conclusions about events.
Example
I saw Ron leaving the car dealership last night. He
must be planning to buy a new car.
- Mistaking the Cause is done when
all possible causes are not evaluated. It leads to incorrect conclusions
about cause and effect relationships.
Example
Gail bought a new sports car last week. She has
arrived at work on time every day this week. She must have been late
for work everyday in the past because her old car was slow.
- False Analogies are made when things
with few similarities are compared. Conclusions based on this type of
comparison are illogical and unsupportable.
Example
Skipping and knitting are similar activities. They
both require you to count and they require the use of long ropes.
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