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 note evaluated for their usefulness.
Hasty generalizations lead to incorrect conclusions about events.
Example
I failed my first English test. I will
probably fail all of my English tests.
- Mistaking the Cause is done when
all possible causes are not evaluated. It leads to incorrect conclusions
about cause and effect relationships.
Example
Henry was wearing his green and red lucky socks when he scored
the winning point. The lucky socks must be responsible
for him scoring.
- False Analogies are made when things
have few similarities. Conclusions based on this type of comparison
are illogical and unsupportable.
Example
Reading is like rolling cigarettes. The more paper
you touch, the less healthy you will become.
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