Identifying Misleading Information and Reasoning Mistakes in Persuasive Arguments
Overview
This paper analyzes three persuasive arguments to identify misleading information and logical fallacies. The student evaluates arguments about Principal McArthur's management style, a dental practice billboard advertisement strategy, and budget allocation decisions, critiquing each for bias, unfounded assumptions, and faulty reasoning.
What this coursework covers
- Example 1: Analysis of Principal McArthur argument - identifies bias and one-sided reasoning
- Example 2: Analysis of dental practice advertisement argument - critiques assumption-based logic
- Example 3: Analysis of budget allocation argument - evaluates use of statistics and discusses representativeness
Preview
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Identifying Misleading Information in an Argument
Example 1
This is a persuasive argument.
Conclusion:
Principal McArthur will again, in August form a harsh or hostile work environment in his new institution, the Willows High School.
Premise: Principal McArthur is tough
Premise: Teachers resent Principal McArthur
Premise: Dr. McArthur scolds teachers for lateness, lazy work habits and sloppy record-keeping
What is misleading and the reasoning mistake.
Personally, I believe that this is not a good argument because it is biased and one-sided. The argument is misleading because Principal McArthur is said to form hostile work environment around him whereas in real sense, he is doing what is expected of him as the leader of an institution. He ought to ensure that teachers do not joke or procrastinate in their work but work smart to produce results and excellence.
Example 2
Conclusion:
Installation of an advertisement billboard closer to the highway, which will tremendously increase the patient load.
Premise: Dr. Mark Baldwin wishes to incease profits of his dental practice like the Baby store.
Premise: Dr. Baldwin believes installing an advertising billboard to a highway exist will increase patient load.
Premise: The Baby store installed billboards on the 95 highway exit and the sales of baby items in the store increased by 13% in the next fiscal quarter.
In my opinion, this is not a good argument because Dr. Mark Baldwin assumes that putting a billboard will increase the patient load tremendously just like the baby store. The argument is one sided because Dr.