Philosophy Fallacy Game

You can look to quotes from Monty Python to see that a lot of their humour comes from making fun of mistakes in reasoning that people normally make. Such as the witch scene from the Holy Grail:

Sir Bedevere: There are ways of telling whether she is a witch.
Peasant 1: Are there? Oh well, tell us.
Sir Bedevere: Tell me. What do you do with witches?
Peasant 1: Burn them.
Sir Bedevere: And what do you burn, apart from witches?
Peasant 1: More witches.
Peasant 2: Wood.
Sir Bedevere: Good. Now, why do witches burn?
Peasant 3: ...because they're made of... wood?
Sir Bedevere: Good. So how do you tell whether she is made of wood?
Peasant 1: Build a bridge out of her.
Sir Bedevere: But can you not also build bridges out of stone?
Peasant 1: Oh yeah.
Sir Bedevere: Does wood sink in water?
Peasant 1: No, no, it floats!... It floats! Throw her into the pond!
Sir Bedevere: No, no. What else floats in water?
Peasant 1: Bread.
Peasant 2: Apples.
Peasant 3: Very small rocks.
Peasant 1: Cider.
Peasant 2: Gravy.
Peasant 3: Cherries.
Peasant 1: Mud.
Peasant 2: Churches.
Peasant 3: Lead! Lead!
King Arthur: A Duck.
Sir Bedevere: ...Exactly. So, logically...
Peasant 1: If she weighed the same as a duck... she's made of wood.
Sir Bedevere: And therefore...
Peasant 2: ...A witch!

I found a site with descriptions of 42 types of logical fallacies: http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/.

Using these fallacy desriptions and examples make up your own fallacies, and make them as funny as possible Okay, they can be making fun of people at your school too if you want. It's a good way to pick up these mistakes in logic, to not make these mistakes yourselves, and overall to learn how to argue.

I'll start it off with an Ad Hominem (against the person) one:

This guy once told me that Star Wars is a good movie, but that guy was really smelly and I heard that he snores in his sleep. So, he's wrong and Star Wars sucks!

Appeal to Popularity:

Most people think that swimming in a river and becoming a mutant blob is the cool thing to do. Therefore, it is a cool thing to do and I'm doin' it tonight! (pretty much you can make fun of everyone with this fallacy because people usually do what they see others do.. there was even a case where parents tried to force their kids to drink poisoned cool aid at a mass suicide because everyone else was doing that).

 

That Guy is certainly fun but Sasuke said that 'That guy doesn't learn', therefore he must be wrong, he may even trying to fool us. That is not funny and I shouldl not contribute to your thread.

 

Jedimdo says he's in love with Cherry, but Naruto didn't say anything, therefore Naruto must think Jedimdo isn't really in love with her, and, because Naruto is such an awesome person, he must be right. Therefore, Jedimdo doesn't love Cherry.

(Come on, you *can't* have expected me to not do something like that)

 

Heheh, you know? After I noticed that you replied and before I read the reply I was thinking when I 'proved' to you over MSN that Cherry was with me

 

Hey, hey, hey. Remember? Not in public. Besides, that could have still been you. To point, the only difference is the displayed name and text color.

But that's a good example, actually. You were making false assumptions that I won't get into here.

(You've still proven nothing. The only way you could prove it to me is to send me a video clip of the two of you doing something together... not *that* you pervert!)

 

What's wrong with it? I'm not saying that you're are wrong or anything.

Yes, I know. That was the purpose of posting my joke.

What!? Cherry volunteering for taking care of children is perverted? Or do you mean that *another* tape? Don't reveal such things in public!

 

Yes..indeed! Oh, and if you DO happen to find something like that Jedimdo, remember to send it to me....it's for ummm....reaserch and stuff..of this ummm whole situation. er--I just need to prove if it's actually real! (what!?)



-Seishin

*coughs*e-mail only*coughs*..oh cra--

 

Hehe, this whole post is in-topic, even if it seems like it isn't

So, by not saying I'm wrong, you admit that I'm right?

And that is the purpose of making this post.

So, you admit that there *is* another tape? That I shouldn't talk about? Tsk, tsk, tsk, Jedimdo. You know she wouldn't approve of that.

Just remember:

 

That deserves the same place as my MSN quote

I wonder just what you are thinking. I did not say anything perv or related. I can guess that it's *that* other tape.

 

That's exactly why I posted it. Because it works in this thread.

If you have a tape, you should send it to me. Since you didn't, I assume you don't have a tape, and, since you don't have a tape, I assume you can't prove yourself, because Cherry isn't with you. Therefore, you're wrong.

See, another example. ^^

 

Oh

*Sends tape*

Error: Unable to reach destination

Um, I tried to send you the tape but it couldn't go there. Therefore, you don't exist! You're just a fake Shinryu or some kind of allucination in my mind. That proves that I'm with Cherry after all. Seishin, who agreed with you, have to be wrong as you are. But since That Guy is really cool, he must be right, so Sasuke's wrong. In conclusion, this is funny and I love this thread!

 

Actually, I was right, and Cherry was wrong, then i am part right. Since ThatGuy is right and Sasuke's wrong, then that makes me %66.66. But if Cherry's right, then i'm %75. And if i'm wrong then i'm not right. In conlusion, you forgot to mention in what address you sent it to..therefore, me and Cherry are right, ThatGuy is right in his own way, and Shinryu's still doesn't know what to do...

-Seishin

 

I was going to post here, but then the Cherry-wanking started up. **** that noise.

 

You guys are spamming. Therefore, I'm closing this thread.

Edit: okay.. maybe it was my fault for making a thread that could turn out that way ^^; I'll put together another sticky on how to argue, and include sites with types of fallacies and reasoning tutorials. They're really useful, it's an easy way to get 90s on papers when you can point fallacies on things you're doing reports on.