The 42 Fallacies on Castanet - Read at your own risk!

[Queen K]

Fallacy # 43 : The Pathetic Fallacy

The pathetic fallacy or anthropomorphic fallacy is the treatment of inanimate objects as if they had human feelings, thought, or sensations. In other words, it is essentially animism masquerading as science.

While one could be tempted to rationalize the use of this fallacy in everyday conversation, it often used by teachers and professors to educate their pupils in science class. Even worse, it is used on Castanet.

Examples:

1) your computer screen wants to get cleaned.
2) CO2 likes to absorb infrared radiation.
3) The mountains try to block the moisture laden clouds before they reach the Okanagan.
4) Castanet hates me.
5) Steven Lloyd's fence wants you to visit.

People, please stop this nonsense before you hurt the feelings of somebody's fence.

I KNOW for a fact that Steven's Fence sent me a written invitation to visit.

[steven lloyd]

[ferri]

i've already been there.

[mtnman1]

i've already been there.

100_0315.jpg

[steven lloyd]

who's gonna clean that ??? ferri !!!

[ferri]

did you run out to check if it was real?

[steven lloyd]

ya (took a peek out my office window)

[ferri]

you just made my day!!!

[Smurf]

We know.

[Born_again]

Hey!! steven, you should see what I wrote on the other side of your bleedin' fence!!!! Go have a look!

[ferri]

heehee i saw that Born_again. you are so lucky you didn't get caught!

[Glacier]

Fallacy #44: The False Analogy

The false analogy is an informal fallacy applying to inductive arguments - not be mistaken with the previous 43 formal fallacies - consisting of an error in the substance of an argument (the content of the analogy itself), not an error in the logical structure of the argument.

The assumption of an analogy goes as such: if some system A has some function X and also some function Y, and some system B has a function X′ corresponding to A's function X, then the system B should also have a function Y′ that is analogous to A's function Y.

For instance, a popular analogy is between plumbing and electrical circuits. In plumbing there are sub-functions and properties such as valves and fluid flow rate. These functions and properties have corresponding analogs in electronics such as transistors and electrical current.

Another common analogy compares the gravitational force between two masses and the electrical force between two charges (both are governed by inverse square relations). One might be tempted to create a further analogy between plumbing and the gravitational force. It is difficult to say whether this would be a false analogy since the definition of a true analogy is equally difficult to define. The usefulness of any analogy must lie in the number of analogs it can establish between the functions and properties of two systems.

An example of a false analogy between energy and mass would be to assume that since E=mc2, then energy and mass must be identical. Energy and mass are not identical, energy can travel at the speed of light while mass cannot. Analogies should never be mistaken for establishing an equivalence. Not recognizing the misapplication of analogy can be as potentially disastrous as not recognizing a misapplication of logic.

False analogies are found all over Castanet. Many are satirical in nature while others are meant to be more serious, but they are usually all meant to be lighthearted (unlike this thread).

A favourite false analogy on Castanet is this one (thank you FF for reminding me of this thread).

[pathos]

so is there an place people from kelowna can post on forums without fear of deletion thru mis comunication

u know the virtual equivalent of freedom of speech is there a thread for that?

[Glacier]

A person or business (like Castanet) can be found liable in a court of law for defamatory comments posted on their website. You are free to make your own website in which the "virtual equivalent of freedom of speech" is exploited to the max. Go ahead, fill your boots. I double dogspoiler dare ya.

[Lady tehMa]

The echoing silence is your response . . .

Anyway, I enjoy reading the about the fallacies, though sometimes it takes me a bit to wrap my brain around them.