The collection of “argumentative moulds” for competitions in bad faith
Also another useful resource, produced by CORTECS : “The collection of argumentative moulds for bad faith competitions”.
The exercise consisted in identifying these mouldy arguments in documents such as scams and charlatanism. For example, we used a flyer selling the effects of magnetotherapy, distributed at a fair. But all kinds of documents can be used to play at detecting these fallacious arguments.
Example of argumentative moulds :
🌬“Smokescreen”
Method: Use complicated terms or unknown facts so that the other person does not do not understand, hoping he will not dare to question not to pass for an uneducated.
Examples:
• This situation is reminiscent of the disastrous confederation of Senegambia.
• I will not, of course, go back to Kant’s nouménales categories, which every student of terminale knows.
🤬The personal attack (or argumentum ad hominem)
Method: to attack the person (on his morality, his character, his nationality, his religion …) and not his arguments.
Examples:
• Unable to give Heidegger credit, given his Nazi affinities.
• How can one adhere to Rousseau’s positions on education, when he abandoned his own children?
🍰The argumentative « mille-feuille » or « layer cake »
Method: Stack a proliferation of weak arguments in a mesh so tight that they reinforce themselves reciprocally without being confronted with each other.
Example:
• And the flag fluttering? And non-parallel shadows? And the framing crosses? And belts Van Allen? And Stanley Kubrick? All that proves that we never went to the moon!
• Tobacco causes cancer, promotes US companies and cigarette butts pollute planet!
One can have fun dismantling the fallacious arguments in all sorts of presentations/documents that deal with parasciences, paranormal, alternative medicines or conspiracy videos, etc : Examples and instructions:
Sources : http://www.lyc-diderot.ac-aix-marseille.fr/spip/spip.php?article2067 Sources : Denis Caroti
Professor of Physical and Chemical Sciences
Collaborator of the Zététique Laboratory of the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis
Transdisciplinary Research Collective Esprit Critique & Sciences
http://www.cortecs.or
OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
Elena Iuliani (March 22, 2021). The collection of “argumentative moulds” for competitions in bad faith. SPOON Open Notebook 🥄 SPOON . Retrieved January 25, 2025 from https://doi.org/10.58079/ujcw
