Analysis of assumptions and fallacies

(For students of SBBU)

By Prof Dr. Sohail Ansari

Conceived and worded by Prof DR Sohail Ansari (originality of concepts and originality of words).

He believes that there can never be a zero scope for improvement and appreciates criticism if it is not for the sake of criticism.

For critical analysis, students need to find out hidden assumptions so to challenge them

(1) If outsider did not steal my daily paper, who did (accept paper is stolen).

(2)  If stolen paper is not with outsider then it is with whom? (Accept not only paper is stolen but also tailoring a question to elicit desired answer).

(3) Paper must be with outsider as it is not with any of the member of family (it is proved that paper is stolen and accept that outsider has stolen)

(4)  If a student is not lying, then a teacher must be (a lie is spoken).

(5) A student must be lying as a teacher cannot (lie is spoken and spoken by a student). (Assumption can be wrong as a teacher can lie or wrong in itself as no lie is spoken).

Fallacy of equation

(1) People must have good understanding of this problem as they have read this book. (Accept that reading gives understanding or reading this book leads to understanding) is same as people must have injuries as they had an accident. (Fallacy of equating two different levels of possibilities. Equating most inevitable with possible)

   

Analysis of fallacies

*       If you do not eat/like vegetables, you must be against vegetarianism. (Not liking something means that one does not like it for himself but does not always mean that one thinks that no one should take it).

*       I always have blood pressure after taking a class and never have when I do not take, therefore, a class causes this. (Possibly a person is to walk a lot to reach a class or have to undergo physical exertion for reaching a class room/ or never do preparation for a class and thus grows tense).

*       Leader has quality ideas from his subordinate when latter are assured that ideas of theirs will be considered in the favorable light. Assurance not the intelligence, therefore, creates ideas. (Assurance activates intelligence).

*       People can cook and eat the same food they eat in hotels; people in the same way, can buy and take the same medicine, they have in hospitals. People go to hotels as they say they enjoying eating there and visit hospitals as they say they get recovery there. Hotel not food and hospitals not medicine; therefore, causes enjoyment and recovery. (Food causes enjoyment, context simply exaggerates the taste. Medicine causes recovery; in hospital it is better administered).

Exercise

*       ‘Civilization is easier to describe than it is to define; therefore a thing that is easier to define must be difficult to describe.

(Define is to give a detailed account of something as in define the meaning of a word. Describe is say what something looks like as in describe the view from your window).

Expose a failure in reasoning which renders an argument invalid