Unit 3, Activity 3, Assignment 1: Revising an EssayCriteria:Read the following essay and identify the logical fallacies that it contains. Then revise the essayso that the arguments are logical (If you feel you must change the thesis of the essay in order toconstruct logical arguments, then do so).Submit both your annotations of the essay, identifying the logical fallacies, as well as yourrevision
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Unit 3, Activity 3, Assignment 1: Revising an Essay
Criteria:
Read the following essay and identify the logical fallacies that it contains. Then revise the essay
so that the arguments are logical (If you feel you must change the thesis of the essay in order to
construct logical arguments, then do so).
Submit both your annotations of the essay, identifying the logical fallacies, as well as your
revision of the essay, correcting the logical fallacies.
Annotations to the Essay:
On Death
We live in a more liberal and forward-thinking society that we ever have before
(Logical Fallacy: Hasty Generalization | Explanation: the writer does not specify why or how our
society is more liberal, but just says that it is because it’s what they think). This has led to many
wonderful things: gender equality, racial equality, religious freedom, and social supports for our
most vulnerable members of society. Unfortunately, our liberal society also has drawbacks. The
most violent and abhorrent criminals (Logical Fallacy: Slanted Language | Explanation:
Slanted Language is being used here because the writer is using words that have extremely
negative connotations such as violent and abhorrent) in our society are able to live out their lives
in our tax-payer-funded prisons. The only real solution for this problem is to bring back the
death penalty (Logical Fallacy: Circular Thinking | Explanation: Circular Thinking is being
used here because the writer is assuming that there is only one real solution. Who's to say that
there is not more than one solution?).
The death penalty may seem like a complicated moral and political issue, but it’s
actually very simple (Logical Fallacy: Oversimplification | Explanation: The writer is saying
that this issue is very simple, which is a warning of oversimplification, as it is still a complicated
issue). Is it fair that murderers should be allowed to serve out their sentences and then
potentially be released back into society to kill again? (Logical Fallacy: Emotion |
Explanation: The writer phrases this sentence to evoke the emotion of guilt for letting innocent
people potentially be killed). The death penalty has been around as long as mankind has
(Logical Fallacy: Dogmatic Statement | Explanation: No research-based or fact-based proof to
this statement; it is only true because the writer believes it to be). It is necessary to get rid of our
most dangerous offenders and keep innocent people safe. (Logical Fallacy: Emotion |
Explanation: the writer is evoking the feeling of guilt by referring to the people as “innocent”)
Some people might argue that a death penalty is immoral and uncivilized, but those
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