| Some writers produce slanted or biased work.
They are not aware of their thinking, they choose words or phrases carelessly,
or they require more practice to improve their writing skills. In addition
to slanted or biased writing, writers may use faulty thinking to prove
their arguments. Faulty thinking often appeals to the reader’s emotions.
In this way, the reader is distracted from carefully evaluating the facts,
details, and conclusions in the writing.
“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.
Example Janet sees
a co-worker will a silver ball point pen which looks the same as her
pen. Her co-worker must have stolen her pen.
- Mistaking the Cause is done when
all possible causes are not evaluated. It leads to incorrect conclusions
about cause and effect relationships.
Example Kim has been
sick for three days. She takes an herbal remedy on the third day. The
next day, she feels much better. Kim concludes
the remedy cured her.
- False Analogies are made when things
have few similarities. Conclusions based on this type of comparison
are illogical and unsupportable.
Example Borrowing
a stranger’s car without asking is like borrowing a car from a
friend because you don‘t intend to keep either
car.
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