Assumptions and Fallacies - Short Essay

Assumptions and Fallacies

What are assumptions? How do you think assumptions might interfere with critical thinking? What might you do to avoid making assumptions in your thinking?

Assumptions are beliefs or ideas that we hold to be true often with little or no evidence required. Our assumptions or beliefs may have merit or they may not. Critical thinking is a process of challenging our beliefs and the inferences or conclusions they cause us to make. In our lives, we are constantly using our beliefs in order to come to conclusions that enable us to understand and act in the world we live in. The decisions and judgments we make are filtered through our belief system. One way to help our critical thinking abilities is to avoid making assumptions until you have collected and examined sufficient evidence. You have to look at it like just because the parking lot is full doesn’t mean that the business is that profitable. Before making an assumption we need to make sure that what we are making an assumption about has enough evidence to back it up and if we are making an assumption about a person we need to be aware of their feelings and thoughts.

What are fallacies? How are fallacies used in written, oral, and visual arguments? What might you do to avoid fallacies in your thinking?

A fallacy is simply a flaw in logic, where the argument (or answer or result) given does not match the evidence as set out. In logic and rhetoric, a fallacy is usually an improper argumentation in reasoning often resulting in a misconception or presumption. Literally, a fallacy is "an error in reasoning that renders an argument logically invalid." A way to avoid fallacies in your thinking is to think about what you are going to say and use excellent rhetoric to get others on your side. You’ll need to consider the opposition and be sure to address any counter-arguments so that the audience can see that it has been thought out. I have learned that a well-planned argument can come undone if the logic doesn’t make sense and there is no supporting evidence to back it up. The more I learn about the common logical mistakes, the better it can prepare me to build an argument that is sure to win each and every time.