Flawed logic and the eRepublikan
MaryamQ
eRepublik articles, and the offsite fora and IRC channels, are full of endless arguments and counter-arguments, attacks and counter-attacks, claims and counter-claims. It can be really hard to sort out what is true and what is not, especially if you are new to a country or to the game. This guide is intended to help you evaluate the arguments for yourself and make your own decisions about what is right and wrong. With that in mind, I present you a number of logical fallacies you may run across and examples of each.
Ad hominem attacks
Player A: I saw some nice strawberries at the market. They were a lovely red color. [Provides screenshot]
Player B: You’re ugly and you’re mama dresses you funny.
Player B is attacking Player A without really offering a valid argument against what Player A said.
What Player B might have sai😛
Yes, some of those are very red, but not all. I see some on the edges of the shot that are still quite green.
Straw man fallacy
Player A: I’ve noticed that some grocery store clerks wear green shirts.
Player B: That’s a lie. There are 3 clerks at my grocery who are wearing blue shirts.
Player A never claimed that ALL grocery store clerks wear green shirts. Pretending that he did does not disprove his statement.
Hasty generalization
Player C: I just met two players in Brussels who are 2 meters tall. Belgians are very tall people!
This is too small a sample to generalize to the whole population. Besides, whether Player C knows it or not, one of these two players is really Dutch.
Begging the question
Player 😨
As far as I can tell, the sun moves around the earth. It moves from one side of the sky to the other, wherever I may be. Therefore, I am the center of the universe.
Player D’s entire argument is based on a false assumption, leading him to a false conclusion.
Post hoc/false cause
Player E: I crossed the street this morning, and when I returned, there was a large check in my mailbox. I’m going to start crossing the street every day so I will never have to work again.
Just because one event precedes another, that does not mean the first event causes the second.
False dichotomy
Player F: Are you blonde or brunette?
Maybe you are redheaded, gray, or bald. Maybe you are brunette one day and blonde the next. Life tends to offer a spectrum of choices, not just either/or.
Ad ignorantum
Player G: The Invisible Pink Unicorn will trample you under her hooves.
Player H: That is ridiculous. I can’t see any IPU. She doesn’t exist.
Both of these players are arguing from ignorance. You can’t prove either side of this question, although you may feel you have reason to believe one way or the other. The best you can do here is agree to disagree and move on to something else.
Burden of proof reversal
Player J: I’m the best-looking player in this chat room.
Player K: How do you know that?
Player J: I just believe it. Prove me wrong.
There are a lot of people making a lot of claims out there. It’s up to them to prove their claims. Otherwise, there is no burden on others to believe what they say.
Non sequitur
Player L: All women are human. King Woldy is human; therefore, King Woldy is a woman.
Unless I am mistaken, King Woldy is not a woman. If you are reading this, there is a good chance you are not a woman, either. Just because all women are human, it does not follow that all humans are women.
Bandwagon fallacy
Player M: We did a man on the street poll in eUK, and 95% agree that all chickens are headless.
Just because a lot of people believe something, that doesn’t make it so.
ePolitics can be very confusing. Remember that you don’t have to accept what anyone tells you at face value. Look for the evidence, evaluate the arguments, and think for yourself. And above all, look out for the IPU chasing the headless chickens!
Comments
CoyoPole ad infinitum and logically necessary
Now that I actually read it all... Bravo!
Very enjoyed, specially seeing that logic does matter to some in the e.place.
Sub 274
Very good article, voted ofc.. 🙂
You forgot argumentum ad repetitio or argumentum ad nauseam which eUK's elites and nobility uses quite often. The sheeple likes it.
It's not a comprehensive list. Contributions are welcome.
Iain uses so many of these...
People in glass-houses, Goku.
You, BA, Dappy, Invalidation, etc do exactly the same
or would pots & kettles suit you all better
I try not to. Iain does it in every breath.
😁
v
You forgot the argumentum ad hitlerum(here, argumentum ad plato) and the precedent fallacy.
Nice, good job!
Every advertisement/promoter hates you now. Don't reveal their tricks!!!
v+
False dichotomy is the biggest problem in the eUK, somewhere along the line it feels like we've either allowed ourselves to simply see every situation as binary or, just as bad, we've allowed people who believe/use them to become the vocal minority. Maybe it's a mixture of both, or none, but we see it all the time.
"ARE YOU TUP OR VENDETTA? ARE YOU PTO OR ATO?" Is obviously the big one we've seen dominate us for ages but it's not the only one. "ARE YOU SERBIA OR POLAND?" is a common one, as we cannot be cordial with one without being full of hatred for the other. As I said on the forums, it's perfectly feasible to remain friendly with a country whilst recognising that we have different aims and goals.
Speaking of the forums, we also find "FORUMS ARE THE WORST, THEY ARE THE NEST OF THE ELITE, FULL OF BIAS AND HATRED FOR US!" or "FORUMS ARE THE ONLY WAY TO COMMUNICATE PROPERLY, WE HAVE TO USE FORUMS BECAUSE THEY ARE THE BEST". I don't think either of those are true, obviously, but I know that even I'm guilty of hopping on with the bandwagon for the latter sometimes. Hopefully people will come to their senses soon and accept that, as a team and a country, the best option is to find the right compromises between all of these.
are you butjam or aren't you ?
God save the Queen!
Compromise? Which side do we put that on? 😉
What makes you think this stops at eRepublik? This is RL just about everywhere on the planet.
As a RL American with an interest in RL politics, how could I possibly disagree? However, if we use the arena we have in eRepublik, perhaps the real people on the other side of the screen will take some of those critical thinking ideas into their real lives. It's worth a try.
Tricking people on the internet?
you should be put on some kinda register!
Always a pleasure to read what you write. Nihil.sine.deo 🙂
Thanks, N.S.D. 🙂 How's it going?
fine, moving from there to there, knowing people and enjoy some good time around them. maybe one day I come back to Belgium, my true place of birth 🙂
Excellent article, voted!
If only people would not listen to what others tell them...
but the smell...
If only people would listen intelligently and make up their own minds...
I am the most handsome person in this comments. Bar Butjam of course.
Don't be too sure. Take a look at Woldy in his pink tutu, linked below.
You want me to post a picture of me ready for prom in my dress to dispute htis?
Of course! I'm sure it's charming!
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t34.0-12/972612_10202135035313603_1467207678_n.jpg?oh=88de24a505ab961d8d84f21c4390d8db&oe=53A3E503&__gda__=1403246803_db78220009da8480a5869372f484887f
Dispute that!
http://i1224.photobucket.com/albums/ee380/TheErepublikan/972612_10202135035313603_1467207678_n_zpsd6e79c81.jpg Or that! Cause the first link don't work.
I must say, I've never seen anything like it.
Nice. job. Very good read.
There is one law of logic which is irrefutable.
The pickle is always correct.
Learn that and all other reasoning is pointless.
Just ask anyone that believes my load of crap!
Who could possibly argue with a pickle?
Meow! ♥
all I see are words...but no logic...
The IPU has hidden the logic from the eyes of unbelievers.
nice
voted for Calvin and Hobbes!
I have a pic of Woldy in a pink tutu that might make you wonder...
https://fbcdn-profile-a.akamaihd.net/hprofile-ak-ash2/t1.0-1/c44.44.552.552/s160x160/625484_618827401467555_611038846_n.jpg
He also is in the running for the best looking on the page in that get-up.
voted 🙂
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