IXL | Classify logical fallacies | 12th grade language arts

Which logical fallacy is used in the text?

According to the university brochure, the majors with the most students are Economics and Computer Science. Therefore, you should declare one of these majors if you want to have a successful career.

slippery slope fallacy: the false assumption that a small first step will lead to extreme consequences

bandwagon fallacy: the assumption that the popular choice is automatically correct

appeal to nature: the assumption that natural things are always good

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question

Which logical fallacy is used in the text?

Companies that make huge profits must be exploiting their customers because the only way a company could make large profits is by taking advantage of their customers.

circular reasoning: an argument that supports a claim with the claim itself

straw man: a misrepresentation of an opponent's position that makes it easier to argue against

false causation: the assumption that because two things happened together, one caused the other

key idea

A strong argument uses valid reasoning and logic in support of a claim. When an argument or claim introduces irrelevant information or misrepresents the issues at hand, it may be committing a logical fallacy. Logical fallacies can hurt a writer's credibility and can lead readers to draw false conclusions.

A logical fallacy may present irrelevant information:

Fallacy	Description
ad hominem	an attack against the person making the argument, rather than the argument itself
appeal to nature	an argument that assumes the natural choice is always the best choice
bandwagon fallacy	an argument that assumes the popular choice is always the best choice
circular reasoning	an argument that supports a claim with the claim itself
guilt by association	an unfair negative association with another person or group that is intended to discredit someone or something

A logical fallacy may misrepresent the issues at hand:

Fallacy	Description
false causation	the assumption that because two things happened together, one caused the other
false dichotomy	an argument that presents only two choices when more options exist
hasty generalization	a broad claim based on too few observations
slippery slope fallacy	the false assumption that a small first step will necessarily lead to extreme consequences
straw man	a misrepresentation of an opponent's position that makes it easier to argue against

solution

The text argues that companies that make huge profits must be engaging in exploitation because the only way a company can make huge profits is by exploiting their customers. However, the "evidence" is just a restatement of the claim itself. This illustrates a type of logical fallacy known as circular reasoning.

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