Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person

• Focus: understanding arguments and opinions about human nature.

• Key idea: evaluate how arguments are formed and whether they rely on sound reasoning.

Arguments

• Arguments are statements that are either claims of facts and are phrased to seem reasonable.

• Purpose: provide reasons to support a claim.

Fallacies (overview)

• Fallacies are errors in reasoning that undermine arguments.

• Common types present in the material:

  • Argumentum ad Hominem

  • Argumentum ad Baculum

  • Argumentum ad Misericordiam

  • Argumentum ad Populum

  • Argumentum ad Traditio

  • Begging the question

  • Cause-and-Effect fallacies

  • Fallacy of Composition

  • Fallacy of Division

Fallacies Argumentum ad Hominem

• Definition: Attacking the Person (Homo means man).

• Concept: Refocuses on the individual instead of the argument.

• Examples:

  • "How can we believe him when he talks about social distancing, he is a lawyer who is a liar."

  • "We shouldn’t listen to Anna’s opinion on climate change because she didn’t even finish college."

Fallacies Argumentum ad Baculum

• Definition: Appeal to Force (threats or coercion).

• Concept: Uses threat to win agreement rather than argument.

• Examples:

  • "You better agree that our new manager is the best, or you’ll be on my bad side and you know what happens to people I don’t like."

  • "If this peace agreement will not be signed by the government, then we will have no resource but to go to war."

  • "If you don’t vote for me as a club president, I’ll make sure you’ll have no friends anymore."

Fallacies Argumentum ad Misericordiam

• Definition: Appeal to Pity/Emotion.

• Concept: Manipulates emotions to win assent.

• Examples:

  • "You need to pass me in this course, since I’ll lose my scholarship if you don’t."

  • Dog example: "You should adopt this dog. If no one takes him home today, he’ll be put down tomorrow."

  • "Please don’t give me a zero. My parents will punish me severely if they see a low grade."

Fallacies Argumentum ad Populum

• Definition: Appeal to People/ to the popular.

• Concept: Claim is acceptable because many people believe it.

• Examples:

  • "Almost 80% of your schoolmates are using it."

  • "Everyone drives over the speed limit, so it should not be against the law."

  • "Millions of people believe in horoscopes, so they must be true."

Fallacies Argumentum ad Traditio

• Definition: Appeal to Tradition.

• Concept: Justifies an idea because it has long been practiced.

• Examples:

  • "Marriage should be between a man and a woman. It has been so for a long time in this country; it should remain so today and in the future."

  • "All of us in the family, from our ancestors up to now, are devout Catholics, so it is only right that you will be baptized as a Catholic."

  • "We shouldn’t change the school uniform policy, it’s been the same for 500 years."

Cause-and-Effect Fallacies

• Definition: Assuming a cause-and-effect relationship between unrelated events.

• Examples:

  • "Ever since you bought that sweater, everything has been going wrong in your life. You should get rid of it."

  • "Whenever I wear my lucky jersey, my team loses. So it must actually be my unlucky jersey!"

  • "I wore my lucky socks to the exam and got a high score. The socks must have helped me pass!"

  • "Every time I bring my umbrella with me, it rains. Clearly, if I leave it at home, there will be sunshine."

Fallacy of Composition

• Definition: Assuming that what is true of a part is true for the whole.

• Examples:

  • "This house is made of bricks. A brick is light in weight. Therefore, this house is also light in weight."

  • "Each player on the basketball team is excellent, so the team must be unbeatable."

  • "These cases of robbery in this district have convinced me that that city has become a den of thieves and criminals."

Fallacy of Division

• Definition: Assuming that what is true for the whole is true for its parts.

• Examples:

  • "This company is very rich, so every employee must be rich too."

  • "The cake is sweet, so each ingredient like flour and eggs must be sweet too."

  • "The United States is the richest country in the world. Therefore, everyone in the United States must be rich and live well."

Begging the Question (Circular Argument)

• Definition: Premises assume the truth of the conclusion, rather than supporting it.

• Examples:

  • "You should trust me because I’m trustworthy." (circular)

  • "Snakes make great pets. That’s why we should get a snake." (premises presume conclusion)

  • Cartoon example: "CLEAN UP THIS MESS! BUT WHY? BECAUSE IT NEEDS TO BE CLEANED." (circular reasoning)