Abstract This paper explains that personal attack is a form of fallacy in which the person presenting an argument is attacked instead of the argument itself, or a person may be attacked because of the association he or she keeps. The author points out that the bandwagon argument refers to the "Appeal to People" because people appeals often sway the population as a whole, which is type of "Fallacy of Relevance" because emotional reaction does not necessarily have any bearing on the truth or falsity of a conclusion. The paper relates that advertisements, organizational literature, CEO and manager appeals, and technology use within an organization are full of fallacies.
Table of Contents
Personal Attack
Bandwagon Argument
Appeal to Pity
Significance to Critical Thinking, Decision Making, and Organizational Examples
From the Paper "In an appeal to pity, the reader is told to agree to the proposition because of the pitiful state of the author. An example of appeal to pity is, "We hope you'll accept our recommendations. We spent the last three months working extra time on it." This argument does not state the advantages of their recommendations as compared to other recommendations, rather states the fact of the number of hours worked on the recommendations. In other words, the arguer is trying to emphasize his/her pitiful state, which has nothing to do with the truth of the proposition."
Abstract This paper describes, analyzes and proves in support of the Structural Realism thesis, as well as qualifies and considers alternatives to this theory. The Structural Realism theory provides guidelines and predictions of a states? behavior.
From the Paper "Kenneth Waltz is claimed to be the father of the structural realist school of thought. He created a new theory by deduction, studying international processes on international level, a level of system and not like a derivative of states foreign policies. In this sense power has to be understood as a descriptive construct for a better explanation of a single unit's position. For analytical purposes we should consider international politics as a bounded realm, then discover law-like regularities and explain observed realities. It should be noted that previous theories were considered by Waltz as "reductionist", with a lack of explanation of states? environment, and the interaction patterns between states studied through examination of individual actors only. They also could not give a reason for the chaos and instability of the international system, although the states themselves remained stable.
As there is only a limited amount of possible outcomes for a great variety of actors and their actions, it is reasonable to suspect involvement of systemic causes. States, through their interaction, create a system, which in turn imposes certain constraints upon them. System theories explain how the constitution constrains interacting units within the whole, stressing the importance of power. Systems act through structures, which come in two kinds: those that socialize the actors and those that provide for rivalry and competition. Socialization consists in mutual influence of actors and production of uniformity. Competition is a second mechanism that forces states to accept common attributes."
Tags: anarchy, bandwagoning, international, peace, relations, war
Abstract This paper focuses on the ethical decisions that farmers are forced to make. Since the introduction of GMOs (genetically modified organisms), globalization, new technologies, and agribusiness, farmers are either forced to sell out or jump on the global bandwagon. The paper discusses the role of politics and biotechnology, including specific discussions about Monsanto and other biotech companies, in modern day farming. The effects of specific GMOs are examined along with economic advantages and environmental disadvantages of using biotech products.
From the Paper "The influence of technology and economic growth on agriculture is an issue that has been widely examined for years. Growing world populations and the need to increase productivity have put a strain on the common practices of farming. Since antiquity, the general public has depended on the productivity of farmers for food. Globalization and economics have forced an increase in the demand of agricultural products. With the development of these demands, corporations and government agencies have introduced ideas for better and more efficient production of foods."
Abstract One of the latest technologies to hit the market is RFID (radio frequency identification) technology. Many companies including Wal-Mart have invested in RFID technology to help reduce inventory and track products, as well as link products to consumers. Only recently have car rental companies started to realize the potential benefits of RFID technology for tracking and inventory. The benefits of RFID technology for the car rental industry are discussed in this paper.
Paper Outline:
Introduction
Analysis of RFID Technology
Conclusions
References
From the Paper "By and large most companies are finding that RFID tags are a new and highly beneficial technology that can reduce inventory levels and theft, and result in billions of dollars in savings every year (McCullagh, 2003). Mega Corporation Wal-Mart has started a trend that will likely spread into numerous other industries, including the car rental industry. In fact, smaller industries such as car rental agencies probably stand to benefit the most from these inexpensive tags."
Abstract This paper examines President Bush's use of logical fallacies in his presidential debates with Democratic candidate John Kerry. It defines and describes the three logical fallacies used by Bush namely, the Appeal to Pity, the Bandwagon Argument and the Red Herring. The author provides examples from these debates.
From the Paper "Logical Fallacies are most basically defined as flaws in reasoning typically used in an argumentative chain of statements. Analyzing the set of assumptions that underlie a chain of argumentative statements is the bedrock of critical thinking. Fallacies are of ..."
Abstract This paper gives brief examples and explanations of twelve separate instances of fallacies in either advertisements or editorials in newspapers. The author organizes the paper according to the type of fallacy each example represents. The paper includes fallacies such as appeals to force, appeals to pity, appeals to vanity and bandwagon fallacies.
From the Paper "Joanne Ditmer argues that we must protect and preserve our public open spaces. As evidence for this, she argues that if we do not, those lands could easily be transformed housing for convicted sex offenders, suggesting that if we do not preserve open space then we are all at danger from the proximity of those offenders. This is an obvious fallacy of appeal to force. Similarly in his article, David Ulin argues against the development of robots that could be used by the military to fight battles."
Abstract This paper examines the positive benefits to be derived from a phone company switching from analog technology to digital technology - especially in its central offices. The paper reviews the financial gains to be made as well as the customer service benefits and suggests that companies not already on the digital bandwagon had best do so in the near future.
From the Paper "The benefits of digital telephone technology versus analog telephone technology are not necessarily obvious, but they are present and they deserve exposition. The following paper will examine the benefits that would accrue to a telephone company if it were to switch from analog technology in its central offices to digital technology. More specifically, the paper will examine the financial benefits and the customer service benefits to be derived insofar as benefits in these areas are benefits that will most impact the future success and prosperity of any telephone company. Among other things, the following paper will look closely at the technological innovations of the new digital technology. "
Abstract The paper discusses how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), under its leader Mao Zedong, took control of China in 1949. The paper describes how, within a year, it had consolidated its control, and it continued to maintain control during the Maoist Era (1949-1976). The paper further discusses how, to maintain control, the CCP use a variety of methods. The paper analyzes their political methods of control, including emphasizing campaigns, role models and the bandwagon effect; and their ideological methods, including a heavy emphasis on community ideology and class theory. All of this was underpinned by massive use of brute force.
Abstract In this article, the writer notes that those in the media and public eye are constantly scrutinized regarding their looks and their age. Women, more so than men, are expected to appear young and vibrant, and many have turned to plastic surgery to achieve this goal. More and more men in the media, however, are also jumping on the surgery bandwagon to compete with their younger male counterparts entering the industry. The writer discusses that this move toward plastic surgery is a wonderful method of turning back the clock on aging as long as it is a voluntary, informed choice, and not done with trepidation as a desperate act to restore youth. The writer argues that having cosmetic plastic surgery should remain a personal choice and whether one decides to alter, improve, or enhance their appearance should not be a reflection, either positively or negatively on their character, as it should not on the individual who decides to forego the procedure. Although those physically attractive people in the media and in society in general often receive preferential treatment and are perceived by others as more sociable and intelligent, it is not perception that is important, but how one feels about themselves on the inside that really counts. The writer concludes that this is what should lead us regarding any decision we should make about the media, plastic surgery, and our lives in general.
From the Paper "One such example of a female broadcaster who has refused to change her appearance is that of Stephanie Edwards, who had hosted the televised versions of the Rose Parade for many years and was the ongoing spokesperson for Lucky's Supermarkets in their broadcast and print advertisements. Her co-host for the yearly parades was a male game show host and media celebrity, Wink Martindale, who is now the spokesperson for Orbitz, a travel agency. While Stephanie's older co-host, Wink, continued to receive his 5-year contracts, Stephanie was given 1-year contracts instead. Additionally, her contract with Lucky's restricted her to radio spots only. Today, Stephanie Edwards is nowhere to be seen in television media, however, as stated Wink, looking as if he has had some "work" done himself, is successfully doing television commercials for Orbitz."
Abstract This paper discusses how vitamins and supplements are a part of many individual's daily lives. In particular, it looks at how many people hop on the health bandwagon, purchasing vitamins they see in advertisements, which claim to improve wellness and how the overall ignorance towards supplements, and the lack of consumer's research puts them at risk. It examines how there are multiple combinations of vitamins that are detrimental to the body as well as certain synthetic supplements and how manufacturers are not making any effort to slow this ignorant vitamin feeding frenzy either.
From the Paper "The problem is not just the consumer's lack of research and information. The pharmaceutical companies are to blame as well. Vitamins, unlike drugs, are loosely regulated. The FDA just recently started regulating vitamins as foods, which is not strict at all compared to drug regulations (Marketplace). Also, vitamins are marketed as miracle supplements, making outrageous, unsupported claims, such as, "doctor-recommended," which do not actually withhold meaning, but appeal to the uneducated consumer (Jacobson 1). As far as nutritional value, these pills are not even absorbed or used by the body like food is. Also, the ingestion of certain vitamins together, can interfere with each other's absorption, which is actually unhealthy. Not to mention, the fact that many vitamins are fat soluble, meaning the fatty tissue accumulates over time, causing poisonous reactions within the liver, and resulting in serious medical consequences (Anderson). "
Abstract The paper discusses the definition of propaganda and examines the different techniques of propaganda that are used. The paper looks at name calling, glittering generalities, undermining the seriousness of a situation, the bandwagon and false connections technique and shows how they were used by the U.S. to gather support for the war in Iraq. The paper concludes that propaganda continues to be a widespread means to influence the masses.
From the Paper "Propaganda is one of the most common means used to influence the opinion of the population. In general terms it is not necessarily a negative aspect, but due to the connotations the term was given in the Second World War in particular, the notion came to be viewed as a negative means of creating an opinion for the public or even building up a public opinion.
"Despite this evident fact, even today there are aspects of internal policy as well as foreign policy which base their influence on different means of propaganda. The United States as well as every major country in the world tries to create a certain image or view of its intentions by using techniques of propaganda. Taking this aspect into consideration, the present paper addresses the various means through which the public opinion can be influenced, starting from the level of the language up to the actual behavior of the individuals in charge of the propaganda."
