COMMON SENSE IS LOGICAL

I understand the current trend, the desire to resist academia, high levels of education, overthinking, tricky use of language, etc.  People have been trying to persuade or trick others for hundreds of years. “Rhetoric” is one name for the art of persuasion.  Rhetoric was considered very negative for hundreds of years because of its use by powerful people against everyday people. But advertisers and politicians use rhetoric every day. We “everyday people” need to learn about rhetoric in order to guard against advertisers, politicians, and others potentially taking advantage of us. 

Therefore, while we certainly do not have to hold a college education, we all need some knowledge of the tools of persuasion, rhetorical tools, so we are not tricked and manipulated by advertisers, politicians, or others who try to manipulate and control us. I believe the easiest and most effective way to guard ourselves against manipulative rhetoric is to learn to spot and understand “logical fallacies.” Logical fallacies are tricks of false logic used as rhetoric that advertisers and politicians use to take advantage of us everyday people. 

One synonym of “logic” is “common sense,” and many people consider the opposite, even the enemy of common sense, to be what is commonly called “book learning.”  We everyday people prefer “common sense” to “book learning.” But if we really do have “common sense,” then we really have to understand logic and logical fallacies.

Some common logical fallacies include “appeal to authority,” “ad hominem,” “slippery slope,” “straw man,” and “hasty generalization.” To see real-life examples of “appeal to authority,” just look at toothpaste ads such as the one below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ULR68LTmbw 

Here is a more complete explanation of “appeal to authority” with examples: Appeal to Authority Fallacy | Definition & Examples 

I’ll share more common sense soon! If you like or dislike what I share, please let me know and subscribe to read and share more!  I’d love to hear from you, whether you agree or disagree. 

Ajarn Joe