Summary of Fallacies of Presumption
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Begging the Question/Circular Argument: In the argument "Ghosts exist because I've seen them, and I know what I saw was real because ghosts are real," the fallacy lies in assuming the truth of what it attempts to prove—namely, that ghosts exist. The speaker uses their claim of having seen ghosts as evidence, which is circular because it presupposes the very existence of ghosts to validate their experience. This makes the argument logically unsound, as it does not provide independent evidence that supports the conclusion.
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Complex Question: The lawyer's question, "Do you admit that your plan to defraud the company was well-thought-out?" exemplifies the complex question fallacy. This question presumes that the witness had a plan to defraud the company, which has not been established as true. Regardless of the witness's answer, they are forced to acknowledge an assertion that may be false, making it problematic as it leads to an unfair presumption of guilt.
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False Dichotomy: The political commentator’s statement, "Either you support lowering taxes for the wealthy, or you are against economic prosperity for everyone," presents a false dichotomy. It unfairly constrains the options to two extreme positions while disregarding a spectrum of possible views regarding tax policy and economic prosperity. This misrepresents the debate by implying that there are only two antagonistic choices, hence oversimplifying a complex issue.
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Circular Argument: The game's instruction that "This game is fun because it's genuinely enjoyable to play" is an example of a circular argument. The statement defines "fun" by using the term "enjoyable," without providing further explanation as to why the game is enjoyable. This circularity renders the argument empty, as it does not offer any substantial criteria or evidence that would clarify what makes the game fun.
In all these examples, fallacies of presumption lead to flawed reasoning that can mislead audiences, overshadow genuine discourse, and perpetuate misconceptions.