Description

This is a great primer for Wireless Philosophy’s other great videos on critical thinking and fallacies, many of which are already uploaded in this database.  The Formal Fallacy concerns a defect in the logical form of the argument itself, also known as invalidity.  Affirming the Consequent is an example of this.  Informal Fallacies are about the content of the argument, i.e. it’s premises, and not the connection between its claims.  This is also known as soundness.

Discussion Questions

• What is a formal fallacy?  Give some examples.
• What is an informal fallacy?  Give some examples.
• Can an argument commit both formal and informal fallacies?  How?
• What happens if an argument commits neither fallacy?  Is it necessarily true?

Keywords: Critical Thinking, philosophy, logical fallacies, logic, rationality