solidsurfacealliance.org Blog

June 4th, 2008
If you want to be taken seriously, follow these four rules for every post.

1. If you want to debate the issues, positions should be backed with info from scientific studies or from the opposing camps own industry.

2. Posters should be civil, sarcastic comments will get the entire post deleted. Examples of rude behavior such as typing in all caps (shouting) except for an occasional emphasis, or personal attacks will not be allowed to remain.

3. Debate rules should be followed. Logical arguements should be used. The following fallacies should be avoided. Don’t worry about keeping them in mind, others will point out them for you!

Argumentum ad baculum / Appeal to force (only bad people believe this)
Argumentum ad hominem (the guy is an idiot)
Argumentum ad ignorantiam (no one can prove it)
Argumentum ad misericordiam (poor me!)
Argumentum ad populum (appealing to the people)
Argumentum ad numerum (everyone knows this is true!)
Argumentum ad verecundiam (Oprah says it is true!)
The fallacy of accident (from general to specific)
Converse accident / Hasty generalization
Sweeping generalization / Dicto simpliciter
Non causa pro causa / Post hoc ergo propter hoc (False Cause fallacies)
Cum hoc ergo propter hoc (causally related events)
Petitio principii / Begging the question (questionable premises)
Circulus in demonstrando (Circular argument)
Fallacy of presupposition (do you still beat your wife?)
Ignoratio elenchi (logically nothing to do with the conclusion)
Equivocation / Fallacy of four terms (a key word with two or more meanings)
Amphiboly (careless phrasing)
Fallacies of composition (parts must apply to the whole)

The slippery slope argument

Argumentum ad antiquitatem (if it is old, it is good)
Argumentum ad nauseam (same argument, over and over again)
Bifurcation (black and white fallacy)
Plurium interrogationum / Many questions (expecting a simple answer to a complex question)
Non sequitur (not logically connected)
Red herring (bait! Don’t fall for it)
Reification / Hypostatization (treating the abstact as a concrete thing)
Straw man (misrepresenting your opponent’s argument)
Tu quoque (but you did it too!)
Audiatur et altera pars (not stating your assumptions)

Below is an excellent site on logical argument fallacies
http://www.virtualschool.edu/mon/SocialConstruction/Logic.html

4. Posts must stay on subject, analogies are acceptable if brief.

Try to stay civil and have fun. The truth will come out in the end