As Demonstrated in a Witch Trial
Mistakes in reasoning are common in everyday life. From politics to commercials to serious business discussions, logical fallacies arise to derail our thinking and smash our arguments. But we often jump willingly to our conclusions. We don’t recognize our reasoning mistakes, and that’s a pity. So here is something that you can use, while Monty Python entertains.
To help you keep your own reasoning on track, here is a wonderful video clip from Monty Python and the Holy Grail that illustrates at least four rather nasty but common logical fallacies: name-calling, undistributed middle term, false cause, and false authority. My explanations below will elaborate on the video’s fallacies so that you may follow the
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The logical mistake occurs when the two classes are equated on the basis of the incidental, common characteristic. This is equivocal. For example, both rams and bulls have horns, but these animals belong to different classes. The horns are only an incidental similarity. Equating the two classes of animals would be a mistake. Though they both have horns, this fact does not put them in the same class, any more than a car and a horse sharing the same color could be classified as the same things. In fact, the horns of these two animals are not really the same, just similar. The Fallacy of the Undistributed Middle Term makes a shared, similar feature the illicit basis for equating two different classes of things. Like …show more content…
Bulls have horns. Consequently, Rams are Bulls.”
Watch what happens as the Lord of the Manor tells the villagers that there are ways to determine if the accused is a witch. He explains that witches burn (a characteristic). Why do they burn? Well, wood also burns (the same characteristic), so witches are made of wood (that equates two classes of different items on the basis of an incidental but shared characteristic). This is the Fallacy of the Undistributed Middle Term. Following this form of reasoning would allow us to easily lose our way logically. (For example, Mr. Smith has two feet; Mrs. Smith has two feet. Consequently, Mr. Smith is Mrs. Smith).
Now what the duck's weight has to do with it is anyone's guess. Of course, this is an example of the same fallacy. Two different things may have the same weight, but that shared quality does not make them the same. Take a survey. What would people prefer: a pound of duck feathers or a pound of gold? If someone tells you that the two are the same, don't go into business with that person. You'll be
The next accusation shocked the townspeople. Ann accused the spirit of Martha Corey. She was a huge figure in the church and, even though there was not substantial evidence, was sent to prison and she was eventually hung. This accusation caused a scare throughout the village because it proved that anyone in the town could be a witch. The first set of trials ended but the girls’ “fits” did not.
The people of Salem have been speaking nonsense, with rumors of witchcraft being practiced in the woods that night. Betty lays unawakened in the bed upstair. This whole situation has already got out of hand, we were simply sporting, thats it. Nevertheless, Betty needs to stop this nonsense now! Or will come in her room in the middle of the night with a pointy reckoning, I have no sympathy for her.
Also, the last cause of the Salem Witch Trial was the lack of knowledge of the people. People was just accusing other people of witchcraft, but the accusers did not have an idea of what was going on in the town. For example in Document A says “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” but the people really did not know who was a witch and who was not a witch. This is lack of knowledge because that was not coming for the Bible or something it was just a version of King James, Puritans let other influence their beliefs and did not give a good knowledge about witchcraft. Other example is in Document B when it talks about all the things that happened and that all of that according to the Puritans was “Witchery” that was lack of knowledge because people really did not know what was happening.
Salem was a town divided into two sides, the west side being poor, and the east side being where wealthy people stayed. Document E shows that the accusers were mainly on the west side, and the accused witches were mostly on the east side, this showing that the poor were the ones mainly accusing the rich and wealthy. Document E’s evidence is backing up the theory that another cause of the Salem witch `trial hysteria was Salem being divided, with one side accusing the other. “Although” statement where you agree there might be other contributing causes. It is true that other causes may help explain the hysteria.
Likewise, saying that nobody proved that boy isn’t guilty, so he is guilty, involves error. Fallacy 3: ‘How come you believed her? She’s one of “them” too, isn’t she?’ – This statement by juror 8 involves ‘Attack on the person’. Instead of dealing with the fact that the lady had to say, the juror focused on lady, which can not justified relevant in discussion.
By the end of the witch trials, she would accuse sixty-two people. However, it wasn’t totally her fault; the standards put onto children were immense, and this was her way of relieving the
These logical fallacies can most easily be found when O’Brien, a member of the Inner Party, is torturing Winston. O’Brien uses them to convince Winston of complete love of Big Brother. Logical fallacies completely persuaded Winston, because when he was tortured, he was squeezed empty, then O’Brien filled him up with fallacies, specifically anecdotal, false dichotomy, and strawman, about Big Brother. When his torture began, Winston was still able to hold onto his sanity, but by part way through he was reduced to a weak and blubbering sack of bones, this is where O’Brien begins to use fallacies, starting with anecdotal. For example: “‘ In the Middle Ages there was the Inquisition.
It is shocking how quickly people can change from being calm to becoming savages. In Lord of the Flies, a plane crashed and some schoolboys got stranded on an island where they have to survive on their own but end up failing and become savages. Chapter 9 concluded with having Simon go out to find the beast and discovers there is none; on his way back everybody is dancing in the rain and eating meat, but when they see this figure coming down, they think it’s the beast so they end up killing the it, which was actually Simon. Therefore, the events above connect to the theme due to the cause of fear that got inside of them once they saw a dark figure and turned them into bloodthirsty savages.
While everyone in town believed the crying teenage girls that claimed witches were upon them, Rebecca Nurse used logical reasoning and claimed that they were acting just like regular teenage girls. Reasoning through tricky situation is a skill I also possess. Through the beginning of ninth grade I used reasoning to make new friends. Many people wanted to be my friend, but some of those who did told lies about people that I had been talking to in order for me to give more of my time to them. I disregarded the lies and today some of the “bad people” are now my friends.
Complete description of all “Fallacies” in the movie “12 ANGRY MEN”: The film “Twelve Angry Men” involves a lot of logical fallacies, some of which are quite prominent and provocative. Like for eg. The fallacies which involve racism and bigotry of Juror #10 and the anger revealed which manifests into personal anguish by Juror#3.
Medieval romance novels revolve around knights who follow a code of chivalry and courtly love as well as embark on a perilous quests. Medieval romances typically do not include farce or satire. Farce is a type of comedy which includes exaggerated humor and mockery. Satire is the use of irony and ridicule to criticize or point out various aspects of society. Monty Python and the Holy Grail mocks the characteristics of a medieval romance such as the quest, knightly chivalry and courtly love through the use of satire and irony.
The Witches were able to project themselves as innocent beings before attack an unsuspecting victim. Of course, the only sources Mather’s had to back up his arguments were his spiritual faith, the Bible, and court
Fallacies are used throughout the movie, but when the debate started, there are more uses of fallacies than towards the end, when the argument is almost developed. Fallacies are wrong or false beliefs that have little to no basis or evidence. The first use of this is when one of jurors says that all kids are liars and anything that kids say cannot not be trusted. There are many kids who are not liars. There are many children who do tell the truth and can
They proved it a dozen different ways in court, would you like me to list them for ya?. 4) Juror 4: i) He commits fallacy of equivocation as he took the meaning of the words of the old man the way they were not meant by him. Also for him, ‘walked, or ran, or went’ all meant the same even when the three words entirely differ in their
For example, the man and dog both think the same about the fire. Therefore,the man and dog think differently in some situations and similarly in other situations. In the