Hey what’s up Thinkers! Kathy Gibbens here…
Let’s start off today by reviewing a fallacy we covered earlier this season, the Appeal to Intuition. Ok, do you want to hit pause real quick and see if you can remember what the Appeal to Intuition is? The Appeal to Intuition fallacy happens when bases their argument solely on their intuition, or what we sometimes call a gut feeling, rather than on objective evidence or reasoning.
So the question to ask yourself if you think you’re facing or committing the Appeal to Intuition Fallacy is this: “Is it a feeling or a fact?”
If you want to review or hear more about the Appeal to Intuition fallacy, go back & check out Episode 156.
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Alright, let’s dive into today’s new fallacy, the Appeal to Stupidity. The Appeal to Stupidity happens when someone makes comments that put down logic & reasoning, and then asks you to believe or do something simply based on their suggestion or on emotion. Now, this fallacy is much less commonly discussed, but I actually see this fallacy committed a lot, which is why I wanted to give it its own episode. In fact, the only person I’ve seen talk about this fallacy is a man named Bo Bennett who wrote a really comprehensive book about fallacies called Logically Fallacious and I’m pretty sure he’s the one who came up with the name Appeal to Stupidity, so shout out to him.
Anyways, here’s an example of what the Appeal to Stupidity sounds like, and I’m actually using an example that Mr. Bennett gives in his book. You’re watching a late-night infomercial and there’s a Motivational Speaker who says, “You know what's wrong with us today? We think too much! We need to act more with our heart and gut! Today is the first day of the rest of your life! Sign up for my 30-day program now for just $999.99!” Ok, do you see the Appeal to Stupidity? He said we think too much & need to act more with our heart & our gut. Basically, he’s telling you to turn off your brain and then he tells you to spend a thousand dollars on his program! That’s the Appeal to Stupidity.
The problem behind the thinking in this fallacy is that the person is literally telling you to make a decision the exact opposite way you should be making a decision. When someone downplays reason & logic, you may want to stop and ask why they’re asking you to do that. Chances are, they’re just trying to get you to make an emotional decision.
Here’s another example of what this can sound like, and again I’m using an example from Mr. Bennett. A politician is running for re-election and says, “The other guy likes to throw statistics and data at us showing how much the economy has improved. But data and statistics don't feed our children. You feel it. The economy has gotten worse! Feelings are more important than facts.” Ok, do you see the fallacy there? This person is totally throwing all the stats & data out the window and is asking you to only pay attention to what you’re feeling. So pay attention to the messaging you’re hearing because it may be subtle, but this fallacy is pervasive in today’s culture. So many people are just asking you to pay attention to how you feel and make decisions based on FEELINGS or to make decisions based on the feelings of others, with little regard for the truth or for facts. Don’t fall for it.
Question to ask yourself if you think you’re facing an Appeal to Stupidity is very simple: “Why don’t they want me to think about this?” *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?”
