Logic and critical thinking unit 5 part 2 |fallacy of relevance | Logic chapter 5 part 2

Logic and Critical Thinking – Unit 5 (Part 2): Fallacies of Relevance
This lecture focuses on Fallacies of Relevance, a major category of informal fallacies where the premises are psychologically persuasive but logically irrelevant to the conclusion. Instead of providing genuine evidence, these arguments rely on emotion, pressure, manipulation, or distraction, causing the conclusion not to follow logically from the premises.
You will learn that in fallacies of relevance, the connection between premise and conclusion is emotional rather than rational, which clearly distinguishes them from good arguments based on logical support.
The lecture explains and illustrates the major types of fallacies of relevance, including:
Appeal to Force (Stick Fallacy): Using physical or psychological threats to force acceptance of a conclusion.
Appeal to Pity: Supporting a conclusion by evoking sympathy instead of evidence, while also distinguishing reasonable compassionate arguments from fallacious ones.
Appeal to the People: Manipulating the desire for acceptance, approval, or status through direct and indirect approaches, including bandwagon, vanity, and snobbery appeals.
Argument Against the Person (Ad Hominem): Attacking the person rather than the argument, including abusive, circumstantial, and tu quoque forms, with clarification that not all personal arguments are fallacious.
Accident: Misapplying a general rule to a special case where it does not apply.
Straw Man: Distorting an opponent’s argument to make it easier to attack.
Missing the Point: Drawing a conclusion that fails to logically follow from the premises, even though it is related.
Red Herring: Diverting attention away from the real issue by introducing a new, distracting topic.
Special attention is given to differentiating Straw Man, Red Herring, and Missing the Point, a common source of confusion for students, especially in exams.
This lecture is designed for university freshmen and critical thinking students who want a clear, example-based, and exam-oriented understanding of fallacies of relevance in logic and everyday reasoning.



Logic and Critical Thinking, Fallacies of Relevance, Informal Fallacies Part 2, Appeal to Force Fallacy, Appeal to Pity Fallacy, Appeal to the People, Bandwagon Fallacy, Ad Hominem Fallacy, Straw Man Fallacy, Red Herring Fallacy, Missing the Point Fallacy, Accident Fallacy, Critical Thinking for Freshmen, University Logic Course