There are a lot of fallacies in the sentences we write and speak. We can understand these fallacies if we are very keen in listening. Moreover, today’s announcements, notices, advertisements and some sentences in newspapers make fallacies. Informal logic is a logic which is framed recently to make analysis about the ordinary language that we use in our conversation. Informal logic could be defined as “The logic of argumentation does not refer to deductive connections between semantic units (sentences) as does formal logic, but to nondeductive relations between the pragmatic units (speech acts) of which arguments are composed. Thus it also appears under the name of “informal logic”. (Tindale, 1999, p.26).
It is very difficult to understand the fallacy in a sentence because the sentence containing fallacy would seem correct at the first sight. “Informal fallacies are errors in reasoning into which we may fall either because of carelessness or attention to our subject matter or through being misled by some ambiguity in the language used to formulate our argument”. (Blair, & Johnson, 1980, p.35). I have taken three sentences that contain fallacy and I have given my reasoning to decide the fallacy in the sentences. The three advertisements are usually broadcasted in the television and in the news papers.
Hasty Generalization is a concept in informal fallacy which is more observable in the advertisement broadcasted in the television or published in the newspapers. It means the generalization of something without adequate evidences and it is only for the sake of company through giving advertisements and using other means for drawing public attention. “Boost is the secret of my energy” is a sentence which is familiar to even children and the old. This sentence has been transformed as boost is the secret of our energy which may draw the attention of all people as the boost is the secret of the energy of everyone. The fallacy in this sentence is that people may think that if they do not take boost, they would not be healthy. (Majumdar, 2010, p.244).
Wishful thinking is a term in informal logic to identify the fallacy in the sentences and gives importance for something that is not good in our life. There are so many companies using this kind of fallacy in their advertisement to take the attention of the people. When something happens to us not healthy we receive the help of somebody or we apply something. I give an example here to understand the fallacy in a better way and that is “Stain is good” (Khanal, 2010, para.1). This is the advertisement of a detergent company saying stain is good because we have Surf (detergent).
Scare tactics is also a term in informal logic which is commonly visible in the commercials. Here the sentence in the advertisements seems to be very frightening. It gives a message that if we are not consuming that particular product, something will happen for us. Here is a good example for such advertisement and this is an advertisement of Colgate Company. This advertisement gives a sense like “If you do not use Colgate your teeth will get decayed.” The fallacy here is that nothing will happen even if we do not use Colgate because there are many other companies like the Colgate Company. But the advertisement speaks to us that if we do not consume the particular item, it is going to be loosened something to our life.
Reference List
Blair, A., & Johnson, R. H. (1980). Informational logic: The first international symposium. Edge Press, 1978, p. 35. Web.
Khanal, A. (2010). Surf Excelling. Ekantipur. Web.
Majumdar. (2010). Product management in India 3Rd Ed. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd, p.244. Web.
Tindale, C. W. (1999). Acts of arguing: A rhetorical model of argument. Suny Press, p.26. Web.