AF: The Logical Fallacies

There is value in learning THE LOGICAL FALLACIES when we realize that there are errors in logical reasoning made every day, and the errors are made with confidence and verve.  The people making the errors seem confident and well-informed, and these errors tend to follow predictable patterns.  I am a slow-processor -- it takes me time to see and process errors, so these never come in handy for me when I'm in the heat of battle.  But later, when I am reflecting on the conversation, I can see the errors for what they are.  And it's embarrassing when I realize that I am the one guilty of making these mistakes in logic!

The ones that pop up  most often on the AP exam are Post Hoc, Bandwagon and Ad Hominem. We often see these terms in the multiple choice answer sets, so these are the ones you should know cold, but knowing all of these can be useful.  As you start to put together evidence for a argument, you want to make sure that the evidence you present is logically connected to the point you want to make.