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Beyond Feelings

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148 PART TWO The Pitfalls<br />

Arguing in a circle<br />

Meaningless statement<br />

Mistaken authority<br />

False analogy<br />

Irrational appeal<br />

error, monitor what you say and<br />

write. The moment you detect<br />

any inconsistency, examine it<br />

carefully. Decide whether it is<br />

explainable or whether it constitutes<br />

a contradiction. If it is a<br />

contradiction, revise your statement<br />

to make it consistent and<br />

reasonable.<br />

Attempting to prove a statement<br />

by repeating it in a different<br />

form. To avoid this error,<br />

check your arguments to be<br />

sure you are offering genuine<br />

evidence and not merely repeating<br />

your claim.<br />

A statement in which the reasoning<br />

presented makes no<br />

sense. To avoid this error, check<br />

to be sure that the reasons you<br />

offer to explain your thoughts<br />

and actions really do explain<br />

them.<br />

Ascribing authority to someone<br />

who does not possess it. To<br />

avoid this error, check to be sure<br />

that all the sources you cite as<br />

authorities possess expertise<br />

in the particular subject you are<br />

writing or speaking about.<br />

An analogy is an attempt to<br />

explain something relatively<br />

unfamiliar by referring to something<br />

different but more familiar,<br />

saying, in effect, “This is like<br />

that.” A false analogy claims<br />

similarities that do not withstand<br />

scrutiny. To avoid this<br />

error, test your analogies to be<br />

sure that the similarities they<br />

claim are real and reasonable<br />

and that no important dissimilarities<br />

exist.<br />

Appeals to emotion, tradition,<br />

moderation, authority, common<br />

belief, and tolerance may be<br />

either rational or irrational.

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