Hey what’s up guys! Kathy Gibbens here…
Let’s start by taking a quick minute to review a fallacy we’ve covered earlier in the show. The Weak Analogy Fallacy is when someone draws an analogy or a comparison between two things that really aren’t that similar in order to make an argument. It’s also called a False Comparison or False Metaphor. This is the fallacy that people use to make a connection between unborn babies and parasites. Whew, it’s a doozy.
So here’s the question to ask yourself if you think you’re facing a weak analogy fallacy: “Are these two things really that similar or are they more different than they are alike?”
If you want to review or hear more about this fallacy, go back & check out Episode 33.
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Oh man, you guys, before I jump into today’s new fallacy, I had to tell you this…so the last episode I did was on the Pathetic Fallacy and the SAME day that it was released, I saw an example of the Pathetic Fallacy on social media!! I just about fell over laughing. It was a post talking about Jupiter and how Jupiter is coming close to earth again. Check this out: “After 59 years of distancing itself from our beautiful planet, Jupiter has decided to return once again with the entire Jovian system. NASA reveals that during this forthcoming approach, Jupiter will attempt a close approach of around 367 million miles from Earth.” Seriously?? Did Jupiter at one point decide to distance itself from earth and now is deciding to attempt a close approach to earth?? So funny!! Ok that was a good way to review the Pathetic Fallacy.
Today is part 2 of a short, 3-part series that I’m doing on 3 fallacies that are all sort of similar. Today we’ll be talking about Personification. Personification is when you give a broader range of human characteristics to an inanimate object or animal. This fallacy is also sometimes called Anthropomorphism.
For example, you’ve seen this in advertising with the M&M’s commercials. They have turned the different colored M&M’s into people-like characters who talk, dance, etc. They have made candy into “people”. They’re cute and I’m sure it helps sell more M&M’s! But that’s a good example of Personification. Incidentally, personification is often humorous and funny and makes for some good jokes!
Another example would be saying, “My truck stubbornly refused to start this morning”. Ok, really? Was your truck being stubborn and choosing to not start or was there just something wrong with it mechanically? Obviously, it wasn’t choosing to not start, but saying it that way makes it more interesting to imagine & think about!
Here’s another example: “While he was recovering from surgery, science fiction books were his constant companion.” Ok, really? Were the books acting the way a best friend would? Of course not. But we understand human behavior and can therefore understand how important those books were to him during his recovery time…as important as the role of a best friend.
Now, remember, in the last episode, we covered the Pathetic Fallacy, which gives human emotions to non-human things, typically things in nature. And now we’re covering Personification, which is a little broader & gives other human characteristics to non-human things. Both the Pathetic Fallacy & Personification are often used as a literary device to make things more interesting or relatable in our minds. When it’s used this way, there’s no problem with it…it’s not really a fallacy or an error in thinking. However, when Personification is used to make an argument, it can become a Logical Fallacy.
For instance: “Every fossil tells a story.” This quote was taken from a BBC cartoon show called “Walking with Dinosaurs” that was promoting evolution. The problem here is that every evolutionist tells a story, but fossils don’t tell stories. However, this kind of fallacy makes it easy to animate the fossils in the cartoon to tell lies while being cute.
So, the question to ask yourself with personification is this: “Is the action really coming from that object or is there someone else behind it?” *repeat*
In the next episode, I’ll be closing out this little mini-series with one more fallacy that’s really similar to the Pathetic Fallacy and Personification called Reification.
Remember: When you learn HOW to think, you will no longer fall prey to those who are trying to tell you what THEY want you to think and it all starts with asking one simple question: “Is that really true?”
