Logical Fallacies annoy me.

All too often I see people posting that 'All christians are...' or that 'I don't think people should have more than 3 kids...' or other such comments.  Most of the time this is followed by someone who points out they're different, or that they have more and would have never had one or more.  The original poster often replies back with 'Oh, I didn't mean you.  I meant someone else, all the other bad ones.'

Problem is, you still said 'All' at the start of your post.  All, means ALL.  It doesn't mean most, or a fair amount or anything like that.

Purdeu's Online Writing Lab says this...

Fallacies are common errors in reasoning that will undermine the logic of your argument. Fallacies can be either illegitimate arguments or irrelevant points, and are often identified because they lack evidence that supports their claim. Avoid these common fallacies in your own arguments and watch for them in the arguments of others.

When someone says 'All', the burden of proof requires you to show how 'All' actually are like that.  If I said 'All redheads are short.' because the ones I know are short, there's no proof that all are in fact short.. Just that the ones I know are.

I see these posts more often than I like.  Sometimes I agree with elements of what is being said, but can't get past that All word.  It makes the argument invalid.

Just a little rant post.

Kristy C

Citing: Purdue Online Writing Lab