Hey what’s up Thinkers! Kathy Gibbens here…
Let’s start off today by reviewing a fallacy we covered earlier this season, The Victim Fallacy. The Victim Fallacy happens when someone assumes that the cause of what they perceive to be a mistreatment is due to prejudice, like racism or sexism.
Question to ask yourself if you think you’re facing - or even committing! - the Victim Fallacy is this: “Is it really true that I/they were being mistreated because of prejudice or could there be another explanation?”
If you want to hear more about this fallacy, check out Episode 84.
Are you looking for a good math curriculum for your student? With CTCMath, all of your kids from K–12 can learn at their own pace with one family subscription. That's right! With a CTCMath membership, you have access to all grades and lessons, which means your children can work at whatever level is best for them. Whether your kid needs to catch up, keep up, or move ahead, with CTCMath they can finally understand math and work at their own pace. Your student starts by watching a short (~4–9 minutes), to-the-point video lesson that presents the concepts of the math lesson step by step. Because it's a video tutorial, they can stop and rewind as many times as they need to. Following each math tutorial there are interactive questions or an optional printable worksheet to test the understanding of key concepts. Answers are entered into the CTCMath automated grading system, which then stores the results in each individual student's ongoing progress report. Not sure WHY their answer is wrong? After answers have been submitted, printable, full-worked solutions become available. These show every step which should be taken to reach the correct answer, ensuring your child really understands the math concepts. CTCMath's multi-sensory approach to ensure retention plus detailed progress reports for the parents adds up to a whole lot less stress when it's math time for both parents and kids! Get all the details & even start a free trial at ctcmath.com. That’s C-T-C Math.com. And, for homeschoolers, right now you can sign up for 50% off by using the link in the show notes!
Ok, let’s dive into today’s new fallacy, The Irrelevant Thesis Fallacy. The Irrelevant Thesis Fallacy happens when someone gives evidence that does indeed support a claim, it just doesn’t support the claim they’re trying to make. This fallacy was first identified by Aristotle, and he called it “Ignoratio Elenchi”, a Latin phrase which means ‘ignoring refutation’ and is also sometimes called Proving X, Concluding Y. In common terms, we would describe someone using this fallacy by saying they missed the point.
Here’s a simple example: Joanna says that almost all of her classmates chew their pencils in class, which leads to broken pencils and little wood shards all over the floor. Since stress often leads to kids chewing their pencils, Joanna concludes that their teachers are putting them under too much stress and should stop giving them so much homework each week. Ok, can you see the fallacy here? It may be true that her classmates are chewing their pencils & breaking them, making a mess in the process, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s from the stress of too much homework. She is reaching a conclusion that’s unrelated to the evidence she’s presenting.
Here’s another example: A scientist says that since we can’t scientifically test or observe the event of Creation, then therefore God didn’t create the universe. Ok, so is it true that we didn’t observe creation? Sure, humans weren’t there when it happened. But does that also prove that God didn’t create the universe? No, that’s another claim entirely.
The problem with the thinking here is that while what someone may be saying is true, it’s missing the point of the argument. It’s a version of a Red Herring, which we discussed in episode 9 and it’s also a form of a Non-Sequitur Fallacy, which we covered in episode 78, but this specific version of the fallacy happens enough that it deserves it’s own special name, thus the Irrelevant Thesis Fallacy.
Sometimes, people commit this fallacy on purpose, as a way to distract or confuse people into believing them. And sadly, this often works, because so many people don’t know how to think well about the stuff other people say!
Here’s another way the Irrelevant Thesis Fallacy happens in advertisements: You’re in the checkout aisle of the grocery store and see one of those tabloid magazines with a picture of Tom Hardy on the front wearing Air Force 1 shoes. The headline says: “Tom Hardy rocks the Air Force 1s, so clearly, they’re the shoes to wear when you want to impress your date.” Ok, really? Tom may be wearing that particular shoe, but what does that have to do with you impressing your date? Probably nothing.
Question to ask yourself if you’re facing the Irrelevant Thesis Fallacy is this: “That may be true, but what does it have to do with the point you’re trying to make?” *repeat*
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?”
